Catalans show why they are vital

[The Future is League]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/30383877/rugby-super-league-france-catalans-dragons-money/

[Morris Wanchuk]

Obviously doing a good job out there for the local economy but I still don’t see why SL needs em? 

[Hopie]

Vital for what?
A good night at the rugby in Perpignan, journos having a nice time, away fans bringing money to the local economy?

Nothing else mentioned in the article you posted

[Sports Prophet]

That is possibly the most nothing article I have ever read to be peddled as journalism.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, Morris Wanchuk said:

Obviously doing a good job out there for the local economy but I still don’t see why SL needs em? 

Yeah what can a well financed team with good attendances and spending up to the salary cap offer SL

[fenster]

8 hours ago, Damien said:

Yeah what can a well financed team with good attendances and spending up to the salary cap offer SL

More than it can offer French RL unfortunately.

[Wakefield Ram]

9 hours ago, Damien said:

Yeah what can a well financed team with good attendances and spending up to the salary cap offer SL

What have the Romans ever done for us...? 

Joke for the older fan

[The Blues Ox]

Vital because some journo working for a scummy newspaper had a good jolly up at one of there games? I can do that at Batley. 

[The Future is League]

10 hours ago, Damien said:

Yeah what can a well financed team with good attendances and spending up to the salary cap offer SL

I think we can see why some Super League clubs don't want them in Super League. It's called fear. Some Super League clubs need to follow their example.

[JohnM]

34 minutes ago, The Blues Ox said:

Vital because some journo working for a scummy newspaper had a good jolly up at one of there games? I can do that at Batley. 

Bat-Vegas!

Is the Variety Club still going? I do so miss the intellectual humour of comedians such as Bernard Manning.

 

Edited September 14 by JohnM

[Dave T]

I think it's silly for anyone to suggest that Catalans bring nothing to SL. They bring a vibrancy, colour, noise and particularly with every game on TV now these are the pictures that we want our tip comp to look like. In addition they contribute on the field, have spending power to bring top talent in, have made finals, won a cup and we shouldn't forget that they do hold the record crowd figure for SL with their game at the Nou Camp. They are popular with thousands of fans who travel there each year. There should be no question of whether they contribute to SL.

However. I'll now put another slant on this. I think people are often so quick to put their negative opinion of the UK game across that they are very quick to talk down our comp and the value it has. What is clear is that SL places have real value to the right markets. We often feel uncomfortable with acknowledging that without SL Catalans Dragons are nothing. If they were never in SL, life goes on for the game in the UK. In France they would have stayed as really minor clubs in a really minor sport.

So people maybe need to temper their commentary around where the value is being driven here. SL is the vehicle for a successful Catalans, Catalans are not the vehicle for a successful SL.

And that goes for everyone, the game and the comp are bigger than individual clubs. Who'd have thought 20 years ago that the Bulls would be a 2nd tier team.

My final point here is that SL does have value and where overseas clubs are concerned we really need an agreed and consistent approach to the clubs, so that next time a French or Canadian or whatever club wants to enter , they know exactly what it will cost, what their commitment will be etc. We shouldn't be shy around having a cost to join, but we should be clear about what that costs gets you and what it doesn't.

There shouldn't be any rumblings of discontent around having Catalans in SL, but the main reason there are is because we have had poor governance and are winging it as we go.

[ATLANTISMAN]

The reality is sadly that not in a million years are 1000 rugby league fans going to stay in Perpignan 20% tops.

It's expensive and Spain is cheap.

Even if Jet2 decide to fly there the hotels eating out drinks etc are way above spanish prices.

I have just filled the land Rover up 80 litres at 1 euro 25 that's around 1.05 pounds in France min 1.70 a litre +

Coffee here 1 euro 50 France paid 3.70 the other day large estrella here 2.40 France beer 5 euros the list goes on and on.

 

Only thing that is cheap in France are houses and rents as here near the border 80% are second homes which puts a squeeze on things and 70% of those homes are now owned by French who come for a variety of reasons cheap prices non restrictive opening hours etc.

Not to mention prostitutes the French love them .

Standard joke down here 300 euros gets your average day trip frenchman 

Tank of gas 

200 fag's

Litre of pernod or Ricard

Bucket of nuts

Bucket of haribo 

Jambon leg

And finally a Romanian:))))

 

 

Edited September 14 by ATLANTISMAN

[Henson Park Old Firm]

The only reason why Catalans don't bring anything to Super League is because the idiots in the Ivory towers have no idea how to harness the success of the club...

Perfect example, with beer unable to be a sponsor in french sport they could of got Kornenbourg 1664 as the official beer.. So every Cats away game has French Beer

 

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

The only reason why Catalans don't bring anything to Super League is because the idiots in the Ivory towers have no idea how to harness the success of the club...

Perfect example, with beer unable to be a sponsor in french sport they could of got Kornenbourg 1664 as the official beer.. So every Cats away game has French Beer

 

Well, it's not quite as simple as just picking a French company and signing them up, but your starting position has merit, we aren't great at capitalising either in the UK or France.

[Toby Chopra]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

I think it's silly for anyone to suggest that Catalans bring nothing to SL. They bring a vibrancy, colour, noise and particularly with every game on TV now these are the pictures that we want our tip comp to look like. In addition they contribute on the field, have spending power to bring top talent in, have made finals, won a cup and we shouldn't forget that they do hold the record crowd figure for SL with their game at the Nou Camp. They are popular with thousands of fans who travel there each year. There should be no question of whether they contribute to SL.

However. I'll now put another slant on this. I think people are often so quick to put their negative opinion of the UK game across that they are very quick to talk down our comp and the value it has. What is clear is that SL places have real value to the right markets. We often feel uncomfortable with acknowledging that without SL Catalans Dragons are nothing. If they were never in SL, life goes on for the game in the UK. In France they would have stayed as really minor clubs in a really minor sport.

So people maybe need to temper their commentary around where the value is being driven here. SL is the vehicle for a successful Catalans, Catalans are not the vehicle for a successful SL.

And that goes for everyone, the game and the comp are bigger than individual clubs. Who'd have thought 20 years ago that the Bulls would be a 2nd tier team.

My final point here is that SL does have value and where overseas clubs are concerned we really need an agreed and consistent approach to the clubs, so that next time a French or Canadian or whatever club wants to enter , they know exactly what it will cost, what their commitment will be etc. We shouldn't be shy around having a cost to join, but we should be clear about what that costs gets you and what it doesn't.

There shouldn't be any rumblings of discontent around having Catalans in SL, but the main reason there are is because we have had poor governance and are winging it as we go.

Broadly agree with your post Dave, but I'd say that the conditions you apply to considering future overseas clubs should also be applied to UK clubs.

Catalans have more than made use of their SL place, to the wider benefit of the competition.

All clubs should have to show evidence that they will make a success of the precious SL place they've been given. We can't afford to have teams come in for a couple of years, skimp it, and then disappear.

Obviously the new model goes a long way towards imposing these tests on all clubs, which I welcome.

 

 

[Dave T]

57 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

Broadly agree with your post Dave, but I'd say that the conditions you apply to considering future overseas clubs should also be applied to UK clubs.

Catalans have more than made use of their SL place, to the wider benefit of the competition.

All clubs should have to show evidence that they will make a success of the precious SL place they've been given. We can't afford to have teams come in for a couple of years, skimp it, and then disappear.

Obviously the new model goes a long way towards imposing these tests on all clubs, which I welcome.

 

 

My view here is that this is ultimately the UK pyramid. People may bang on about it being a Euro league etc but it ain't, it's the RFL structure. So British teams are in that structure.

To admit a new team it needs agreement. A Toronto team (as an example) are not an RFL member and when it is proposed that they join the UK structure, it is perfectly reasonable to have to agree terms for entry that don't apply to existing members. Now that entry price may ultimately buy you full rights that make you an equal partner, but that's my point about those terms need to be agreed.

Now, where your suggestion has merit is if an investor wants to set up a new club in say, Glasgow and wants to join the structure.

It's a bit of a challenge around having a hybrid system that doesn't know whether its licensing or p&r based.

Edited September 14 by Dave T

[Click]

2 hours ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

The reality is sadly that not in a million years are 1000 rugby league fans going to stay in Perpignan 20% tops.

It's expensive and Spain is cheap.

Even if Jet2 decide to fly there the hotels eating out drinks etc are way above spanish prices.

I have just filled the land Rover up 80 litres at 1 euro 25 that's around 1.05 pounds in France min 1.70 a litre +

Coffee here 1 euro 50 France paid 3.70 the other day large estrella here 2.40 France beer 5 euros the list goes on and on.

 

Only thing that is cheap in France are houses and rents as here near the border 80% are second homes which puts a squeeze on things and 70% of those homes are now owned by French who come for a variety of reasons cheap prices non restrictive opening hours etc.

Not to mention prostitutes the French love them .

Standard joke down here 300 euros gets your average day trip frenchman 

Tank of gas 

200 fag's

Litre of pernod or Ricard

Bucket of nuts

Bucket of haribo 

Jambon leg

And finally a Romanian:))))

 

 

We get it - France is expensive. 

[LeeF]

3 hours ago, JohnM said:

Bat-Vegas!

Is the Variety Club still going? I do so miss the intellectual humour of comedians such as Bernard Manning.

 

It’s now a gym with a Starbucks in the car park

[Morris Wanchuk]

21 hours ago, Damien said:

Yeah what can a well financed team with good attendances and spending up to the salary cap offer SL

Ok so they’re not reliant on their opponents paying for their coach travel & opposition fans having a whip round but what actual benefits do they bring to SL? If they dropped out of next year who (apart from those fans who can afford a weekend jolly away) or why would we miss em.

[Wakefield Ram]

23 minutes ago, Morris Wanchuk said:

Ok so they’re not reliant on their opponents paying for their coach travel & opposition fans having a whip round but what actual benefits do they bring to SL? If they dropped out of next year who (apart from those fans who can afford a weekend jolly away) or why would we miss em.

Would we miss Huddersfield, Hull, Castleford, Salford......

[Damien]

48 minutes ago, Morris Wanchuk said:

Ok so they’re not reliant on their opponents paying for their coach travel & opposition fans having a whip round but what actual benefits do they bring to SL? If they dropped out of next year who (apart from those fans who can afford a weekend jolly away) or why would we miss em.

You quoted me listing benefits so Im not sure why you are asking again.

Edited September 14 by Damien

[JohnM]

11 hours ago, Wakefield Ram said:

Would we miss Huddersfield, Hull, Castleford, Salford......

Or St Helens...

Or Leigh...

[Wakefield Ram]

3 hours ago, JohnM said:

Or St Helens...

Or Leigh...

Exactly, not sure why Catalans should be singled out.

[bromleybulldog]

On the basis of this weekends results, we could quite realistically conclude that Hull, Huddersfield, Castleford are not really interested in competing in SL. And probably add Leeds to that list as well at the moment. Whereas London are giving everything they have just to avoid the wooden spoon and inevitable relegation. IMG have a lot to answer for.

[JohnM]

That brings a whole new meaning to the word "reasonably".

Mind you, you might be right when you say, "IMG have a lot to answer for".

They have this to answer for; The RFL and the clubs, by approving the work done for them by IMG, have recognised the need to move forward and to move forward in this way.

Judging by the recent progress of Wakefield, Oldham, now London (and maybe others) the Championship may well emerge from the shadows to be a well-run and popular league below SL, yes, but a strong league in its own right with it's own identity.

Edited September 15 by JohnM