Toulouse struggling

[Oxford]

 

At least those so disposed won't have to worry about two French SL cliubs any time soon.

 

[binosh]

Where are the threads from last year with posters telling us about the amazing potential of the huge metropolitan borough of Toulouse with massive sponsorship, huge funding potential, 5 figure sellout crowds, I’d like to read them back.

[GUBRATS]

Hope they sort it out , we can't afford to lose any RL clubs 

[DEANO]

They were allowed into our system on the premise of paying for travel. Nothing has changed and why should it

[binosh]

I’m sure they are fine, probably cutting costs this year with them being a shoe in under the grading criteria, looks like a ploy from the board as they have gone with a squad of 20 So far.

[Oxford]

2 minutes ago, binosh said:

I’m sure they are fine, probably cutting costs this year with them being a shoe in under the grading criteria, looks like a ploy from the board as they have gone with a squad of 20 So far.

I hope you're right but I think that's the last we'll see of TO.

And, as I'm sure you'll have noticed, some of the posts highlight the glee.

[DEANO]

Hope they don’t go under. I’m going there 3 weeks today

[Madrileño]

9 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

Depressing that we could lose a real chance of growth in France because it was done as tinpot as possible.

No. We will lose that growth because the English clubs don't WANT that growth.

If they had wanted it, T.O. would have entered the league on the same terms as everyone else. 

[DEANO]

6 minutes ago, Madrileño said:

No. We will lose that growth because the English clubs don't WANT that growth.

If they had wanted it, T.O. would have entered the league on the same terms as everyone else. 

In an ideal world I’d agree with you but it’s not an ideal world. Championship clubs are struggling to travel on the m62

[Madrileño]

1 hour ago, DEANO said:

They were allowed into our system on the premise of paying for travel. Nothing has changed and why should it

Quite right. 

I mean why would anyone want to expand the league into a bigger regional footprint?

Sure, it would lead to a bigger market for the sport, with more potential tv viewers, would create a French Derby, would probably lead to a second broadcaster covering the league, introduce an internationally renowned city destination into a league dominated by miserable northern English towns, create a pro pathway for French players which would ultimately help create a competitive France team to play England. 

BUT... what do they really bring to the league? 

I think the league would be far better served by having a third Wakefield club in it. Keep rugby league for local people. 

[Hello]

This thread summarises nicely everything that fans from any of the many sports that have/continue to succesfully spread themselves around the globe  (football, golf, cricket, basketball, rugby union etc) need to read to understand why rugby league is not only failing to expand, but actually disappearing.  

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by Hello

[DEANO]

5 minutes ago, Madrileño said:

Quite right. 

I mean why would anyone want to expand the league into a bigger regional footprint?

Sure, it would lead to a bigger market for the sport, with more potential tv viewers, would create a French Derby, would probably lead to a second broadcaster covering the league, introduce an internationally renowned city destination into a league dominated by miserable northern English towns, create a pro pathway for French players which would ultimately help create a competitive France team to play England. 

BUT... what do they really bring to the league? 

I think the league would be far better served by having a third Wakefield club in it. Keep rugby league for local people. 

So is it the flights that’s are stopping them from progressing or is it the fact they are not well supported especially compared to the yawion side. There is a demand for union but not league. Sad but true 

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, DEANO said:

So is it the flights that’s are stopping them from progressing or is it the fact they are not well supported especially compared to the yawion side. There is a demand for union but not league. Sad but true 

If there isn't enough evidence for demand for an RL side in Toulouse, there isn't enough evidence for one in everywhere in the NH bar Leeds, Wigan, Leigh, St Helens, Hull x2, Perpignan, Warrington and Castleford.

Fairs if you think cutting off everyone else makes sense, its bold at least.

[Hello]

14 minutes ago, DEANO said:

So is it the flights that’s are stopping them from progressing or is it the fact they are not well supported especially compared to the yawion side. There is a demand for union but not league. Sad but true 

They managed about 8 or 9 thousand for their play off final against Fev in the championship.  The opportunity to build upon this for the greater good of the sport was, as usual, missed.  You can see as plain as day just from posts on these boards alone that many of the fans (not all by a long shot) are very happy that the sport is not expanding because they are desperate to keep their own small town club fighting to be king of nothing.  Outside of their club, however, the world keeps spinning and increasingly giving less of a flip about league.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Hello

[DEANO]

Just now, Tommygilf said:

If there isn't enough evidence for demand for an RL side in Toulouse, there isn't enough evidence for one in everywhere in the NH bar Leeds, Wigan, Leigh, St Helens, Hull x2, Perpignan, Warrington and Castleford.

Fairs if you think cutting off everyone else makes sense, its bold at least.

There used to be before sky bought the game and tried to kill off everyone outside the chosen few

[sweaty craiq]

2 minutes ago, Hello said:

They managed about 8 or 9 thousand for their play off final against Fev in the championship.  That wasn't built upon because of the usual failure of the sport to see a good thing in the bigger picture.

Thats the problem with giving tickets away to individuals who then await the next free one as thats the market price to them. 9000 free tickets yet 1000 at most prior 

[GUBRATS]

23 minutes ago, Madrileño said:

Quite right. 

I mean why would anyone want to expand the league into a bigger regional footprint?

Sure, it would lead to a bigger market for the sport, with more potential tv viewers, would create a French Derby, would probably lead to a second broadcaster covering the league, introduce an internationally renowned city destination into a league dominated by miserable northern English towns, create a pro pathway for French players which would ultimately help create a competitive France team to play England. 

BUT... what do they really bring to the league? 

I think the league would be far better served by having a third Wakefield club in it. Keep rugby league for local people. 

You were doing fine till the insult to proud towns and clubs that invented the game 

[Niels]

9 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

You were doing fine till the insult to proud towns and clubs that invented the game 

Well said. 

Criticising where players, fans etc live isn't really what we are about as a game.

 

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by Niels

[Madrileño]

5 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

You were doing fine till the insult to proud towns and clubs that invented the game 

Wasn't insulting any clubs. 

If you want to grow a sport in 2022, you have to look carefully at locations, and a "destination " venue like Toulouse is gold when the alternatives are places like Leigh.

If you don't think these towns are miserable places, then fair enough. It's an Internet forum, and so you are entitled to your opinion. 

[DEANO]

You can try to grow the game wherever you want but there has to be a demand for it

[Hemi4561]

1 minute ago, Madrileño said:

Wasn't insulting any clubs. 

If you want to grow a sport in 2022, you have to look carefully at locations, and a "destination " venue like Toulouse is gold when the alternatives are places like Leigh.

If you don't think these towns are miserable places, then fair enough. It's an Internet forum, and so you are entitled to your opinion. 

Utter sxxxe, Toulouse is  not a destination venue as far as Rugby League goes, its another failing experiment. It has two chances of survival, 

A, they they are aware of the as yet unstated but possible IMG criteria that says any club in London, or France is automatically guaranteed grading Of B.

B, mass insanity strikes all the supporters of every L1 and Championship club, who then stop going to watch their club and buy season tickets for Toulouse with no intention of ever going to see them "because that is in the best interests of RL" 

[Balmainboy]

Would be very very bad for the game in the NH  if they went under. Doubt it will happen though. 

[Snowys Backside]

10 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

Depressing that we could lose a real chance of growth in France because it was done as tinpot as possible. Playing the French derby on a Saturday could’ve filled that stadium and added a bit more cash. 

Instead of 14 SL with space to grow its 12 teams and loop fixtures...

All the adversity some posters have shown against Leigh and some of the fans like myself who regularly post on here, 99% of Leigh fans this season would have welcomed Toulouse to stay up last season and consolidate. Featherstone deserved a crack too who have splashed out on and off the pitch to become a SL club.

Toulouse have been dealt a bad hand in some aspects, but they have not helped themselves too in the past 12 months. The cracks have opened up, the attendances have not been there (and for a huge City, this is really disappointing) and now they are paying the price of relegation before a ball has even been kicked.

I am still hearing of a 10 Team SL and i still need to understand why ?  I agree with a 14 or even a 15 team SL with 28 straight fixtures and maybe a 'magic' 9's tournament that everyone can enjoy to no detriment of relegation. Bin the Golden point too !!

I hope they pull through. Last year was a balls up and they had the opportunity to strengthen SL there and then. Unfortunately, I fear for Toulouse as expansion clubs lack resilience when it comes to financial issues.

Expansion and resilience don't always go hand in hand. Haven't we not learned enough since 1996 ?

[Hemi4561]

3 minutes ago, Balmainboy said:

Would be very very bad for the game in the NH  if they went under. Doubt it will happen though. 

No it wouldn't, be the same as if an NRL club went under, not the end of the world where it really matters. 

[DEANO]

6 minutes ago, Hemi4561 said:

Utter sxxxe, Toulouse is  not a destination venue as far as Rugby League goes, its another failing experiment. It has two chances of survival, 

A, they they are aware of the as yet unstated but possible IMG criteria that says any club in London, or France is automatically guaranteed grading Of B.

B, mass insanity strikes all the supporters of every L1 and Championship club, who then stop going to watch their club and buy season tickets for Toulouse with no intention of ever going to see them "because that is in the best interests of RL" 

Tired of this London thing. They’ve had 41 years to make an impression with the help of rich benefactors and the rfl and still they just make up the numbers. They offer nothing to rl  unfortunately