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Nice... big city RL in France

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Number 16

Number 16

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Posted

FFR13 reporting the launch of a new club in Nice on the back of the city wanting to host WC games in 2025.

From small steps...

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Rugby League is back in a big city in the south of France. Indeed, Nice XIII has relaunched the project to create a senior team for the next season. Go behind the scenes of the Côte d'Azur project with William Montesino, president of Nice, who talks about the ambitions of his club.

In 2015 there were the beginnings of a project? What were your motivations this year to finalize the creation of this club?

In fact, in 2015 I had the idea of creating a club in Nice. I went through a rugby league forum to find potential people interested in creating a club in the Alpes-Maritimes (06). We set up an association with a partner. But unfortunately the professional obligations of each one could not give life to the project. Then the Covid passed by and all that only delayed our ambition. The project was put on hold but following an article on the internet which spoke of the success of the “Seven” in Monaco, I contacted Anne Marie TREMOUSAYGUE-VAN KLAVEREN (elected in charge of the XIII Wheelchair) who said he was in favour of the creation of a club in the region. Then everything accelerated with the establishment of a new general assembly and the appointment of a vice-president.

Do you have local support that will allow you to develop the club well?

At the budget level, we start from zero like any new club. We have applied for a grant which should be successful. Then we have the support of Eric Cioti, MP, and the town hall in our project. Moreover, Nice is a candidate as host city for the World Cup in France in 2025.

What are the club's ambitions for the coming seasons?

First of all next season we will engage in the federal division. About fifteen players have already responded positively to our call and we are talking with others who are likely to come to the region for professional reasons. Then our real objective is to perpetuate the club by having a first team with enough players each year. I also have excellent relations with the flagship club of the city (Stade Niçois) which plays in National. We are going to meet with their president in order to discuss possible avenues of partnership such as lending us players who would not be retained on weekends. Personally I am not in this XV/XIII war, if we can work hand in hand it is with great pleasure.

Isn't a rugby school still on the agenda?

It is still too early to set up a project like this. The top priority is for the senior team to continue, but of course we hope in the future to have enough coaches and volunteers to welcome new teams (young, female, wheelchair).

What kind of president would you like to be?

To be completely honest, maybe I will also be a player next year, but nothing is certain yet (laughs). Otherwise I am young so I hope to be an open-minded and young president in the way of working. My primary goal was to initiate the project and bring it to life. In the future, I am absolutely not closed to the idea of leaving my position to a person much more competent than me.

First training first week of August so!

Yes, the town hall has not yet formalized, but it provides us with a synthetic pitch with two slots per week. As said before, we may already have around fifteen players, but we welcome anyone interested, whether you are an experienced player or a beginner. We are also looking for coaches, a physio, volunteers. Besides, Julien Caminati, former professional rugby union player and rugby league fan is very excited to join us. I think he will bring enough experience and advice to help us progress. So we are counting on you at the beginning of August!

 

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Eddie

Eddie

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Posted
29 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

A club in Nice is good, by the looks of it they are gonna start off small scale but looks like the club and the federation have an eye on a post 2025 World Cup legacy.

Talk is that Nice will be a host city.

Are the federation involved in this new club? 

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Oxford

Oxford

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9 minutes ago, Chris Taylor said:

Get them straight into Super League along with Newcastle, York, London and Bradford.

So that posters and Dek Beaumont can say they bring nowt to the table, already looking forward to it!

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2 warning points:kolobok_dirol:  Non-Political

 

 

 

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Oxford

Oxford

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

From little acorns and all that. 

I've always found this a mathematical uncertainty of a well know phrase or saying. I had an oak in my garden, produced tons of acorns and no trees.

But I hope you're right and they succeed

2 warning points:kolobok_dirol:  Non-Political

 

 

 

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Eddie

Eddie

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It looks like Montpellier (the original Diables Rouges rather than the new club who promised a lot and delivered nothing) are becoming more active again too, going by their socials. Should be good news for big city RL fans. 

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idrewthehaggis

idrewthehaggis

Posted
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Nice is a very attractive city. 

Think of this as say if a club from Manchester was lobbying to join the NCL. 

For RL to evolve from its core, developing the Game in the major coastal towns/cities will easily supplement its inner French heartlands.

Places like Nice are build enough to support even a National Division 2 club alongside Montpelier and Marseilles.

Also a very fine place to do pre season training/support building friendlies for our northern RL clubs. 

I presume the considered WC venue is the 8k Stade Ehrmann not the Allianz Riviera that is 35k? 

Overall a tiny but welcomed step. 

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Oxford

Oxford

Posted
Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

I guess the lack of an adverb of frequency saves me.  Not that acorns always become New oaks but it does happen.  This is the highly nuanced discussion I come here for. 

Yep that southern belt has hope. 

Well is it nuanced or stark reality that many posters try to use to stake a claim for backing up illogical thought? I've lived in France for an extended period and that's where I had my oak and the similarities in the experiences and attitudes towards RL make me even more cynical and pessimistic than the usual.

I suppose that we don't hear those attitudes voiced so much here but in France ru has never been backward in coming forward in making it clear.

Mind you when we have examples here the number of RL apologists that back them up beggars belief. You only have to see how often the "chip" theme comes up on here to recognise this.

 

Edited by Oxford
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2 warning points:kolobok_dirol:  Non-Political

 

 

 

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RP London

RP London

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, idrewthehaggis said:

 

Think of this as say if a club from Manchester was lobbying to join the NCL. 

 

dont you remember when they did that to join league 1 and the "interesting" conversations then??

17 hours ago, Number 16 said:

FFR13 reporting the launch of a new club in Nice on the back of the city wanting to host WC games in 2025.

From small steps...

Link

Translation

Rugby League is back in a big city in the south of France. Indeed, Nice XIII has relaunched the project to create a senior team for the next season. Go behind the scenes of the Côte d'Azur project with William Montesino, president of Nice, who talks about the ambitions of his club.

In 2015 there were the beginnings of a project? What were your motivations this year to finalize the creation of this club?

In fact, in 2015 I had the idea of creating a club in Nice. I went through a rugby league forum to find potential people interested in creating a club in the Alpes-Maritimes (06). We set up an association with a partner. But unfortunately the professional obligations of each one could not give life to the project. Then the Covid passed by and all that only delayed our ambition. The project was put on hold but following an article on the internet which spoke of the success of the “Seven” in Monaco, I contacted Anne Marie TREMOUSAYGUE-VAN KLAVEREN (elected in charge of the XIII Wheelchair) who said he was in favour of the creation of a club in the region. Then everything accelerated with the establishment of a new general assembly and the appointment of a vice-president.

Do you have local support that will allow you to develop the club well?

At the budget level, we start from zero like any new club. We have applied for a grant which should be successful. Then we have the support of Eric Cioti, MP, and the town hall in our project. Moreover, Nice is a candidate as host city for the World Cup in France in 2025.

What are the club's ambitions for the coming seasons?

First of all next season we will engage in the federal division. About fifteen players have already responded positively to our call and we are talking with others who are likely to come to the region for professional reasons. Then our real objective is to perpetuate the club by having a first team with enough players each year. I also have excellent relations with the flagship club of the city (Stade Niçois) which plays in National. We are going to meet with their president in order to discuss possible avenues of partnership such as lending us players who would not be retained on weekends. Personally I am not in this XV/XIII war, if we can work hand in hand it is with great pleasure.

Isn't a rugby school still on the agenda?

It is still too early to set up a project like this. The top priority is for the senior team to continue, but of course we hope in the future to have enough coaches and volunteers to welcome new teams (young, female, wheelchair).

What kind of president would you like to be?

To be completely honest, maybe I will also be a player next year, but nothing is certain yet (laughs). Otherwise I am young so I hope to be an open-minded and young president in the way of working. My primary goal was to initiate the project and bring it to life. In the future, I am absolutely not closed to the idea of leaving my position to a person much more competent than me.

First training first week of August so!

Yes, the town hall has not yet formalized, but it provides us with a synthetic pitch with two slots per week. As said before, we may already have around fifteen players, but we welcome anyone interested, whether you are an experienced player or a beginner. We are also looking for coaches, a physio, volunteers. Besides, Julien Caminati, former professional rugby union player and rugby league fan is very excited to join us. I think he will bring enough experience and advice to help us progress. So we are counting on you at the beginning of August!

 

This is brilliant news... its almost like the International game could do some good... who'd have thunk it?!?

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The Rocket

The Rocket

Posted
Posted

How much do we owe the success and the determination of Bernard Gausch and the Catalans for raising the profile of League in France and leading to developments like this and France holding the World Cup.

To think that there could be any doubt about the externalities of having French teams in Europe`s premier Rugby League competition.

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The Daddy

The Daddy

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Eddie said:

It looks like Montpellier (the original Diables Rouges rather than the new club who promised a lot and delivered nothing) are becoming more active again too, going by their socials. Should be good news for big city RL fans. 

Montpellier Diables Rouges is such a historic brand in French Rugby League, I hope they can return to Elite One 

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JonM

JonM

Posted
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19 hours ago, Pie tries said:

Good luck !!

is the team in Cannes still going?

Disappeared quite a few years ago, after winning Elite 2 in the 1990s and doing well in Elite 1 for a while.

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