Toulouse Olympique’s plan to be a ‘real force’ in Super League under ambitious new owner

[Rugby League World]

Toulouse is the nerve-centre of France’s aerospace industry and its Rugby League team is reaching for the stars under a new chairman with high-flying ambitions....

View the full article

[owls]

I wish them all the best,  a 2nd strong French team can only be good for European Rugby, 

[Pigeon Lofter]

Three hundred sponsors!

TO on the way to becoming a very powerful part of SL (or whatever it will be called) in the years ahead. Wow.

 

[The Future is League]

Great news.

[Damien]

Everything he says makes sense and I like the emphasis on developing more French players. Sponsors and the commercial side are key and Toulouse do always seem to have a good base there.

A strong, vibrant Toulouse can only be an asset to the game, both for French RL and for SL. I think the only thing they are missing is a decent spell in SL to grow as Catalans did.

[Gerrumonside ref]

Interesting article which taught me a lot about TO and their setup.

Hope they can get that new stadium they’re yearning for with good reason.

Seems to be interesting times for the club game in France with Catalans sustained challenge at the top of Super League, a positive change of leadership at TO and Carcassonne’s ambitions too.

Edited January 7 by Gerrumonside ref

[Archie Gordon]

It seems that all they are lacking is the fanbase.

[Dunbar]

Good luck to Toulouse. 

As a side note, does sport get any more exciting than trying to raise your provisional 12.97 IMG rating to Category A status, absolutely edge of the seat stuff.

[kiggy]

He's spent a lot of time getting assurances from everyone else to spend their money but until he starts dipping into his own trousers I will remain indifferent. To be a SL club you need a SL mentality, not just within the team on the pitch but off it also. I don't see that yet.

[The Daddy]

4 minutes ago, kiggy said:

He's spent a lot of time getting assurances from everyone else to spend their money but until he starts dipping into his own trousers I will remain indifferent. To be a SL club you need a SL mentality, not just within the team on the pitch but off it also. I don't see that yet.

Recruitment for next season has been underwhelming to say the least 

[kiggy]

37 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

Recruitment for next season has been underwhelming to say the least 

Yes, quite.

Smallest squad I think in the league for the 2024 season.

I'm all for adding new French blood but he has yet to entice the best. Mathieu Laguerre at the very least would be a start.

Like I said he talks the talk but that's all it is at the moment. 

[Worzel]

On 07/01/2024 at 12:42, Archie Gordon said:

It seems that all they are lacking is the fanbase.

Indeed. I went to 2 games in their last Super League season and there was barely anyone there. 

[NRLandSL]

On 09/01/2024 at 06:56, kiggy said:

Yes, quite.

Smallest squad I think in the league for the 2024 season.

I'm all for adding new French blood but he has yet to entice the best. Mathieu Laguerre at the very least would be a start.

Like I said he talks the talk but that's all it is at the moment. 

Keep an eye out For Wail Skoundri he will be a star. Easily the best young foward in France, some serious talent.

Also Guys like Tropis, Guillon and Matteo Stefani have heaps of potential.

Edited January 10 by NRLandSL

[Gooleboy]

On 10/01/2024 at 13:46, Worzel said:

Indeed. I went to 2 games in their last Super League season and there was barely anyone there. 

They had a poor crowd for the play off final against London as well.

[Worzel]

1 hour ago, Gooleboy said:

They had a poor crowd for the play off final against London as well.

Yes, although to be fair greater than most in the Championship clubs would manage. There's huge potential in Toulouse, and great corporate dollar, I just think whatever they're doing to create crowds at the moment isn't working. Not convinced by the move to the Union stadium to be honest, hard to create an atmosphere there. Much better experience at the smaller ground in Blagnac, but guess they can't do the corporate stuff there. 

[kiggy]

15 hours ago, Worzel said:

Yes, although to be fair greater than most in the Championship clubs would manage. There's huge potential in Toulouse, and great corporate dollar, I just think whatever they're doing to create crowds at the moment isn't working. Not convinced by the move to the Union stadium to be honest, hard to create an atmosphere there. Much better experience at the smaller ground in Blagnac, but guess they can't do the corporate stuff there. 

I'm back at Blagnac today, for Blagnac v Tarbes. It is a much better venue for smaller crowds.

[Archie Gordon]

16 minutes ago, kiggy said:

I'm back at Blagnac today, for Blagnac v Tarbes. It is a much better venue for smaller crowds.

Nice, laid back village too. 

[Expatknight]

I don’t know about France and how Toulouse market their games, Catalans must be doing something right as they seem to get decent crowds, but we have similar problems here getting people through the gates. We have probably the best kept sporting secret in the world, if people could only see what’s on offer they would come. When was the last time you saw a decent TV ad promoting Rugby League? It can’t cost that much, in the grand scale of things, surely. Some good action footage and a list of fixtures with some enthusiastic commentary would at least get the message out there. We can’t even market one-off games properly and then wonder why nobody turns up. 

[Harry Stottle]

16 hours ago, Worzel said:

There's huge potential in Toulouse,

There goes that word again potential, how long before will it be before we see some reality in the quality of the team, the size of the crowds and the corporate input and sponsorship clamoring to invest we so often here about on these pages.

Edited January 13 by Harry Stottle

[Dunbar]

50 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

There goes that word again potential, how long before will it be before we see some reality in the quality of the team, the size of the crowds and the corporate input and sponsorship clamoring to invest we so often here about on these pages.

The article says that between 60 and 70% of their income comes from sponsors, of which they have almost 300.  That seems a pretty good base and will improve no doubt when they are in the top league again.

[Gooleboy]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

There goes that word again potential, how long before will it be before we see some reality in the quality of the team, the size of the crowds and the corporate input and sponsorship clamoring to invest we so often here about on these pages.

When they got promoted a couple of years ago, many on here kept saying the phrase "its all about what they will bring to SL." But we were never told what this thing is that some posters were obsessed with.

[Pulga]

On 07/01/2024 at 23:36, Dunbar said:

Good luck to Toulouse. 

As a side note, does sport get any more exciting than trying to raise your provisional 12.97 IMG rating to Category A status, absolutely edge of the seat stuff.

Unfortunately the English seem to still believe in an antiquated view of sports so needed it spelled out for them.

The results on the field are just one aspect of a team and the game day experience. You can't just let basically every other facet deteriorate.

[Pulga]

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

The article says that between 60 and 70% of their income comes from sponsors, of which they have almost 300.  That seems a pretty good base and will improve no doubt when they are in the top league again.

He's a Leigh fan commenting on potential.

Let's just let the irony wash over us.

[Dunbar]

48 minutes ago, Pulga said:

Unfortunately the English seem to still believe in an antiquated view of sports so needed it spelled out for them.

The results on the field are just one aspect of a team and the game day experience. You can't just let basically every other facet deteriorate.

While I wholeheartedly agree that there is more to a clubs success, I strongly believe that it is results on this pitch, and results on the pitch only, that should move players up and down in a milti-tiered league structure.

To be honest I was probably pro licencing (or whatever the equivalent name is now) before and then neutral but I guess I am getting more antiquated in this point as I get older.

But this conversation has been done to death on here many times and so I will leave it there.

[Lowdesert]

2 hours ago, Gooleboy said:

When they got promoted a couple of years ago, many on here kept saying the phrase "its all about what they will bring to SL." But we were never told what this thing is that some posters were obsessed with.

It’s any old thing the naysayers want. Rarely are the costs that TO pay for clubs to travel to France brought up.