French look to fully professionalise with 13 team league

[Lowdesert]

Won’t start in 2024.

Dominic Baloupe (taking over from Lacoste) - That included improving managerial, commercial and communication skills at clubs; building a viable and sustainable financial model and engaging with local authorities to improve facilities.

Good news.  Let’s hope it ain’t a pipe dream.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/french-elite-championship-set-for-revamp-as-nation-moves-towards-professional-top-flight-with-hopes-of-putting-sport-back-on-the-map

[owls]

While i wish them success, without serious financial clout behind it, it is exactly a pipe dream.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

They need to partner with the NRL

[Whippet13]

Very commendable ambition, I hope they can find the funds and leaders to create the reality.

[Pulga]

It's 12 teams and called Top 13.

Not sure it's a good idea with the union comp being the Top 14. Good old rugby league.

[sam4731]

4 hours ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

They need to partner with the NRL

Why stop with France? The NRL should control international rugby league...

[Sports Prophet]

I don’t hold out much hope for the French federation in organising a picnic of baguette and fromage, let alone a fully professional league.

[Coggo]

As the French say, reckon de chinny.

[Mathius Hellwege]

10 hours ago, Pulga said:

It's 12 teams and called Top 13.

Not sure it's a good idea with the union comp being the Top 14. Good old rugby league.

I think that it is inddedd totally clever to organize your marketing around the ununusal number 13. RL has to do anything to get attention.

In addition it would ease workload, enable European Cups, WCC....So why not change the dead name super league in England to Top13 as well (and finally get rid of the Magic Weekend or leave one French team at home)

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

I'm 71, I wouldn't expect to see this if I lived to 171.

[The Daddy]

13 hours ago, Pulga said:

It's 12 teams and called Top 13.

Not sure it's a good idea with the union comp being the Top 14. Good old rugby league.

Super 13 would be better. Top 13 is just a silly reference to the name of the Union competition 

[Mathius Hellwege]

1 hour ago, The Daddy said:

Super 13 would be better. Top 13 is just a silly reference to the name of the Union competition 

Perhaps you are right, definitley use the "13!

[Lowdesert]

32 minutes ago, Mathius Hellwege said:

Perhaps you are right, definitley use the "13!

I think it’s important to have the 13.  It has been used to differentiate the 2 French codes.
‘If’ they can get traction to do this it will hopefully strengthen that league further, so they can stand alone, barring Catalans, and grow.  

[The Daddy]

Essentially this is the pro league that was going to be launched in tandem with France hosting the World Cup. 

Edited February 4 by The Daddy

[Mathius Hellwege]

without bein anything concrete. so not more worth than the 2016 plans to include Toulon and Lyon in the league

[eal]

It'll likely never happen, the money simply isn't there. There is as much chance of a professional handball league in Britain as there is a professional Rugby League league in France.

Edited February 4 by eal

[DI Keith Fowler]

7 minutes ago, eal said:

It'll likely never happen, the money simply isn't there. There is as much chance of a professional handball league in Britain as there is a professional Rugby League league in France.

This is a flagrant attempt to draw gingerjon into the conversation and I respect that. 

[eal]

6 hours ago, DI Keith Fowler said:

This is a flagrant attempt to draw gingerjon into the conversation and I respect that. 

Handball did recently get a crowd of 1,200 in Derby for Great Britain v Kosovo. Quite impressive.

Edited February 5 by eal

[gingerjon]

2 hours ago, eal said:

Handball did recently get a crowd of 1,200 in Derby for Great Britain v Kosovo. Quite impressive.

Having been drawn in like a moth to a light ...

... the useful thing for handball in this country is that there are a lot of European nations currently just ahead of GB but who GB can mix with internationally in both men's and women's open and age-group internationals, plus clubs can qualify for the lowest tier European tournaments. There is no real need for a professional league, which is just as well.

French Rugby League does need to do more to have professional and semi professional clubs because a dozen clubs across the channel with a maximum of a couple of spots each is nowhere near enough to give them a pathway to growing the game, and there are simply no nations equivalent to Kosovo in handball that they can play.

[ATLANTISMAN]

If this happens i will strip off and cycle from Kent to Perpignan.

It's all very simple concentrate on the traditional clubs and areas where the game has roots.

Talk of Toulon etc is nothing more than chatter over a bottle or 2 of plonk.

I would first be pushing to get the likes of Carpentras back up to Elite 1 as my late mum used to say tell me the old old story:)

Edited February 5 by ATLANTISMAN

[barnyia]

Never going to happen, a semi pro player with a full time job will be getting minimum 1500 euros take home for his job and between 600 and 1200 from rugby (some maybe a little more)  there's no way clubs can pay this as a real work contract costs the employer double, so a player on 2k will cost the club around 3700 with taxes, national insurance etc ,

Players aren't going to give up a long term job to play a couple of years of full time rugby for half the money he was getting, 

 

[Lowdesert]

3 hours ago, barnyia said:

Never going to happen, a semi pro player with a full time job will be getting minimum 1500 euros take home for his job and between 600 and 1200 from rugby (some maybe a little more)  there's no way clubs can pay this as a real work contract costs the employer double, so a player on 2k will cost the club around 3700 with taxes, national insurance etc ,

Players aren't going to give up a long term job to play a couple of years of full time rugby for half the money he was getting, 

 

True to an extent but how many teams in the championship are ‘full time’.  Wakey, Fev ?  Not sure re:Toulouse but I doubt it’s 100%.

Elite 1 is not at the championship standard.

[ATLANTISMAN]

3 hours ago, barnyia said:

Never going to happen, a semi pro player with a full time job will be getting minimum 1500 euros take home for his job and between 600 and 1200 from rugby (some maybe a little more)  there's no way clubs can pay this as a real work contract costs the employer double, so a player on 2k will cost the club around 3700 with taxes, national insurance etc ,

Players aren't going to give up a long term job to play a couple of years of full time rugby for half the money he was getting, 

 

Totally realistic Barnyia I would also add where are the extra 3 teams going to come from (If one counts St Esteve/Toulouse as reserves teams its only 8 anyway)

Right now i can only see Villefranche realistically joining Elite 1 next season Carpentras would be great however how far are they away right now from the standard required.

Any other suggestions 

 

Paul 

 

 

 

 

[barnyia]

Pamiers are looking to move up to elite 2, they've a bit of money and a decent following,

[Whippet13]

The article doesn't talk about clubs having full time squads, it says:

improving managerial, commercial and communication skills at clubs; building a viable and sustainable financial model and engaging with local authorities to improve facilities.

So I think this is maybe about the clubs themselves becoming more professionally run, which is achievable.