Toulouse: SuperLeague in 3 years

[GeordieGiant]

http://bit.ly/1S89Qxq

[Southerner]

Sounds like the RFL are making them take the toughest route to Super League. Too tough IMO.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

how many will the stadium hold? after its been built?

[zorquif]

Sounds like the RFL are making them take the toughest route to Super League. Too tough IMO.

I know it's a tough route, but as long as the investors fully understand the situation. The tough route means that no one can whinge when they hit SL, and I know this is RL so this could all be different, but most investors would be willing to support a venture for 3 years before seeing the results they want

[Saint Toppy]

I think this is absolutely the right approach to take. They will find it far more competitive in the Championship than in their own domestic league and while i'm sure it wont take them long to find their feet and make it to the top of the 3rd tier it will be a valuable learning curve in travelling to england every other week.

Within 2 years they will probably make it to the Championship but I can't see them making that jump into SL straight away. There are too many good teams knocking about this league for them to be able to gain any sort of dominance. I do think they will make it into SL at some point and then go from strength to strength but I dont see it happening until around 2020 at the earliest.

 

As long as their investors stick around I dont see this as a bad thing at all and in the long run will probably serve them well.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Didn't work last time because of the ridiculous salary cap difference between the French league and the Championship. Awful planning.

We now see then drop into an even lower league with an even bigger difference in salary cap, but then their is a bigger cap than before in the Championship so if they can get out of League 1, then there is a lot of potential there as they can actually sign the best French players then (which was the point all along!).

Will they have a strong enough squad on £250k to get out of League 1 though?

[zorquif]

I suppose it (partially) depends on cost of living.

 

Here's a salary cap question for you all as well - a lot of people have been saying how big industry will sponsor Toulouse. Let's take Airbus as an example. They could employ a few Toulouse guys. And lets just say they said 'as you are helping our brand name, you can knock off early on [i don't know - just an example] Tuesdays, Thursday and Friday to train/travel and come in late on Monday to help recovery'. You know, like never used to happen with the union boys in the amateur days. Would that be ok or would that infringe the cap?

[EastLondonMike]

Is there anything stopping Toulouse working in some back ended contracts?.. basic salary (within the League 1 cap) first year, larger salary second year (if promoted), Superleague level salary for the third year, again if promotion is achieved.. with a few bonuses thrown in.. Isn't this what most teams do anyway to work around any cap restraints?

[GeordieGiant]

Is there anything stopping Toulouse working in some back ended contracts?.. basic salary (within the League 1 cap) first year, larger salary second year (if promoted), Superleague level salary for the third year, again if promotion is achieved.. with a few bonuses thrown in.. Isn't this what most teams do anyway to work around any cap restraints?

 

 

I suppose it (partially) depends on cost of living.

 

Here's a salary cap question for you all as well - a lot of people have been saying how big industry will sponsor Toulouse. Let's take Airbus as an example. They could employ a few Toulouse guys. And lets just say they said 'as you are helping our brand name, you can knock off early on [i don't know - just an example] Tuesdays, Thursday and Friday to train/travel and come in late on Monday to help recovery'. You know, like never used to happen with the union boys in the amateur days. Would that be ok or would that infringe the cap?

 

 

Yes I thought that, and it's all very conceivable. But before one starts to make conspiracy theories; state benefits (income support, child benefit etc), the cost of living, housing arrangements, vehicles and the value of the Euro all differ for a French based side, when compared to teams operating in the UK. 

 

To my knowledge the French Championship has no cap (someone can correct me on this front if I'm wrong) so surely the club could pay them through the Reserve team who will operate in Elite 1with no questions asked?

[GeordieGiant]

how many will the stadium hold? after its been built?

In the region of 18,000. Imagine if they got to SL or had  a Challenge Cup game v Dragons or another big SL team they would move it to Ernest-Wallon (19,000) or the Muncipality stadium where the football club play (35,000)

[JonM]

I suppose it (partially) depends on cost of living.

 

Here's a salary cap question for you all as well - a lot of people have been saying how big industry will sponsor Toulouse. Let's take Airbus as an example. They could employ a few Toulouse guys. And lets just say they said 'as you are helping our brand name, you can knock off early on [i don't know - just an example] Tuesdays, Thursday and Friday to train/travel and come in late on Monday to help recovery'. You know, like never used to happen with the union boys in the amateur days. Would that be ok or would that infringe the cap?

 

Danny Hulme, ex of Widnes, works for Airbus and plays for T.O. I'm sure there are others.

 

I think enforcing the salary cap will be interesting anyway when Toulouse Broncos are going to be play in the Elite between September & May.  

 

I think the capacity after the developments will be 10k, not 18k, but maybe I'm wrong.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Why move to the Ernest-Wallon for the sake of 1,000?

Or are you talking about between now and then?

[zorquif]

Danny Hulme, ex of Widnes, works for Airbus and plays for T.O. I'm sure there are others.

 

I think enforcing the salary cap will be interesting anyway when Toulouse Broncos are going to be play in the Elite between September & May.  

 

I think the capacity after the developments will be 10k, not 18k, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

I did think this when the Toulouse Broncos were first mentioned on here. What is to stop Koukash buying Swinton FC (I don't know if they even exist, but you know what I mean) and putting all his guys on the books there?

[GeordieGiant]

Why move to the Ernest-Wallon for the sake of 1,000?

Or are you talking about between now and then?

 

Yeah, if they pulled a Wigan, Leeds, Saints in the Cup next year or the year after whilst they're still doing the construction could take it there so they get a big(ger)  crowd.

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Out of curiosity, who's paying the Championship 1 clubs' travelling expenses? We're not exactly awash with spare cash down here!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Out of curiosity, who's paying the Championship 1 clubs' travelling expenses? We're not exactly awash with spare cash down here!

If you read the article, you'd have seen that the RFL are.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

In the region of 18,000. Imagine if they got to SL or had  a Challenge Cup game v Dragons or another big SL team they would move it to Ernest-Wallon (19,000) or the Muncipality stadium where the football club play (35,000)

so the new stadium will be 18,000 that's pretty massive

[zorquif]

Is the Ernest-Walton where the yawnion play? That is interesting, when you watch it on sky you'd think that all anyone cares about is the yawnion.

[EssexRL]

It will probably be quicker to get there than Barrow and a bit sunnier!

[Hvy wg]

You would be surprised at how good Toulouse really is. They're not an amateur side. 

[Exiled Wiganer]

I don't understand why we have a ceiling salary cap in the lower leagues, though I could understand one linked to ability to pay. I can understand one further up, but here you are simply hamstringing a potentially huge club. It's bonkers.

There is only one question  here - will Toulouse's backers be patient enough - are they Daveys or Koukashes?

Am delighted to see that there is a pathway and one they are prepared to tread.

[DoubleD]

Toulouse should get promoted easily in League 1 in their first season (assuming they don't have the same problems on their travels as Catalans), but I think they'll find it much tougher to go up automatically the next season from the Championship. Good luck to them and here hopes they can

[wackojacko]

so the new stadium will be 18,000 that's pretty massive

 

Pretty sure it was 10-12K they were looking at.

[Yosser]

In the region of 18,000. Imagine if they got to SL or had  a Challenge Cup game v Dragons or another big SL team they would move it to Ernest-Wallon (19,000) or the Muncipality stadium where the football club play (35,000)

 

If they came up against the Dragons in the Challenge Cup it might be considered a local derby, but not in the way Wigan/Saints or Leeds/Bradford or Wakefield/Cas etc are local derbies. The distance between them is 130 miles, which is the same as the distance between Barrow and Batley.

 

Playing Barrow won't boost Batley,s gate and there are unlikely to be Barrow supporters working at the biscuit factory who are going to give the Batley Boys a hard time on a Monday if they lose to Barrow.

 

A Derby but not as we know it

[GaryO]

You would be surprised at how good Toulouse really is.

Measured against?