TOULOUSE OLYMPIQUE were forced to shell out €500,000 – or £416,000 – during the 2024 Championship season in travel costs.
That’s according to French publication L’Independant, which revealed the gargantuan bill in an article linking Toulouse with a potential return to Super League.
Of course, all Super League clubs will be given their IMG grading scores in the next week, before the scores go live to the world on Wednesday.
Toulouse were in tenth place when the provisional grades were given out towards the back end of 2023, with a score of 12.97.
However, clubs below them – Wakefield Trinity (12.52), Leigh Leopards (12.45) and Castleford Tigers (12.16) – have all outlined their confidence of being close to or achieving a Grade A this time around.
Meanwhile, Toulouse boss Sylvain Houles believes that the club should be reinstated in Super League regardless of the IMG gradings.
Houles told League Express: “As a coach I feel the players’ frustration that promotion and relegation has been taken out of their hands; it’s a bit weird but as a club we have tackled the issue head-on.
“It’s frustrating and a bit sad that the major decisions will be taken away from the sports field. But with everything this club does, I really believe it should be in Super League. There has been so much growth and it is gathering momentum; the network that the club is creating in this city is fantastic.
“We talk about potential and it is genuinely unlimited here, not just for Super League, for France or for Europe, it’s for the entire game. This club currently represents the biggest city in professional Rugby League. Toulouse staying in the Championship won’t help anyone.”
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