French Pro League Crops Up Again

[The Future is League]

On 23/09/2025 at 21:50, The Daddy said:

Really hope it comes off. This time it looks like they're working with the NRL and trying to get some public funds to make it happen. 

Hope for the best, but always expect the worst. 

 

I think the French clubs would be more willing than English clubs to play under the NRL umbrella with a ten team competition

[fcl]

On 23/09/2025 at 17:13, barnyia said:

Pie in the sky as always, never going to happen, too many self centred  people, and too much  politics involved in french rl clubs/leagues for this to happen. 

The French sports system means that local authorities are the keystone of our sports system. In the current state, believing that external elements would arrive with a magic wand to give us money is pure utopia. For the moment, Australians are investing in England and will not invest in our clubs.

 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

https://treizemondial.fr/une-super-league-francaise-des-2027/

[Henson Park Old Firm]

if there was a pro league what clubs or cities should be in?

My line up would be,

 

Villeneuve

Paris

Marseille

Carcassone

Albi

Avignion

Toulouse 

Catalan

Lyon

 

[Eddie]

58 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

if there was a pro league what clubs or cities should be in?

My line up would be,

 

Villeneuve

Paris

Marseille

Carcassone

Albi

Avignion

Toulouse 

Catalan

Lyon

 

Would you really bin off Limoux and Lezignan, two of France’s most historic and successful clubs with productive youth systems for fictional teams in big cities where nobody cares? 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

8 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Would you really bin off Limoux and Lezignan, two of France’s most historic and successful clubs with productive youth systems for fictional teams in big cities where nobody cares? 

Both have small populations.. is guess they could merge with Carcassonne and create Aude Cathers

[Eddie]

7 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

Both have small populations.. is guess they could merge with Carcassonne and create Aude Cathers

Why would they want to do that? 
 

Also they are successful clubs with fan bases, both would attract four figure crowds, Paris or Marseille certainly couldn’t, even if they existed. 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

7 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Why would they want to do that? 
 

Also they are successful clubs with fan bases, both would attract four figure crowds, Paris or Marseille certainly couldn’t, even if they existed. 

man you must be fun at parties.

[LeytherRob]

18 hours ago, The Future is League said:

I think the French clubs would be more willing than English clubs to play under the NRL umbrella with a ten team competition

I think so too and to be honest, NRL investing in a proper French comp would be far more beneficial to the wider game than the proposed 10-team European SL.

If RL ever wants to truly progress internationally, it has to find a way of breaking free of only having 2 pro comps.

[Briacbzh]

Another day of “I read the Wikipedia page of the biggest French cities.”

There are already clubs in the Paris region, and they’re already struggling massively to put full teams together—and they play in front of absolutely nobody. There are about as many GAA players as there are rugby league players in Île-de-France…

It’s wrong to think that simply putting a club in a big city automatically means it will attract huge crowds.

The best example is Avignon: Avignon is a very large and well-known city in France, and it also happens to have no professional sports teams.

As a result, the rugby league club plays in a huge stadium, it’s the only team in the city competing in a top division… and yet, very few people are actually interested.

What works in France is creating a strong local identity, and building a project that brings together public authorities but above all local businesses. Apart from the big football clubs, all professional clubs in France rely on this dual support network, which is therefore inherently tied to the local territory.

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

man you must be fun at parties.

An easy response, but seriously why do you think Limoux and Lezignan would want to merge with Carcassonne? They’re three distinct and rival clubs, Lezignan and Limoux are an hour’s drive from each other. 

[Eddie]

6 minutes ago, Briacbzh said:

Another day of “I read the Wikipedia page of the biggest French cities.”

There are already clubs in the Paris region, and they’re already struggling massively to put full teams together—and they play in front of absolutely nobody. There are about as many GAA players as there are rugby league players in Île-de-France…

It’s wrong to think that simply putting a club in a big city automatically means it will attract huge crowds.

The best example is Avignon: Avignon is a very large and well-known city in France, and it also happens to have no professional sports teams.

As a result, the rugby league club plays in a huge stadium, it’s the only team in the city competing in a top division… and yet, very few people are actually interested.

What works in France is creating a strong local identity, and building a project that brings together public authorities but above all local businesses. Apart from the big football clubs, all professional clubs in France rely on this dual support network, which is therefore inherently tied to the local territory.

Don’t let the facts that you know from living in France get in the way of pins in the map TRL forum fantasy mate. 

[The Daddy]

1 hour ago, Briacbzh said:

Another day of “I read the Wikipedia page of the biggest French cities.”

There are already clubs in the Paris region, and they’re already struggling massively to put full teams together—and they play in front of absolutely nobody. There are about as many GAA players as there are rugby league players in Île-de-France…

It’s wrong to think that simply putting a club in a big city automatically means it will attract huge crowds.

The best example is Avignon: Avignon is a very large and well-known city in France, and it also happens to have no professional sports teams.

As a result, the rugby league club plays in a huge stadium, it’s the only team in the city competing in a top division… and yet, very few people are actually interested.

What works in France is creating a strong local identity, and building a project that brings together public authorities but above all local businesses. Apart from the big football clubs, all professional clubs in France rely on this dual support network, which is therefore inherently tied to the local territory.

So let's not do anything at all then and just make RL in France die off. 

[The Daddy]

3 hours ago, Eddie said:

Would you really bin off Limoux and Lezignan, two of France’s most historic and successful clubs with productive youth systems for fictional teams in big cities where nobody cares? 

Limoux and Lezignan have no catchment area, no audience and if they are so historic what exactly are they doing now to promote their 'historic' clubs? 

When I checked their 'websites' I wasn't impressed at all. 

This is a big problem in RL especially France, people want clubs to be a big part of the sport's future just on their names alone but not on the added value they bring. 

[EggFace]

17 hours ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

https://treizemondial.fr/une-super-league-francaise-des-2027/

Touch of R360 about it...it never take off.

[Eddie]

3 hours ago, The Daddy said:

Limoux and Lezignan have no catchment area, no audience and if they are so historic what exactly are they doing now to promote their 'historic' clubs? 

When I checked their 'websites' I wasn't impressed at all. 

This is a big problem in RL especially France, people want clubs to be a big part of the sport's future just on their names alone but not on the added value they bring. 

Ok bin off the second and third biggest French clubs and make up some new ones that will never happen then. 

[Tommygilf]

I have never thought this as unrealistic as some say.

Due to the French local government and commercial support for Sports clubs, I think the actual sums needed here to get a comp off the ground could actually be quite modest (in global sporting terms). I've always been quite shocked at the budgets some clubs operate at considering their crowds and audience, but that should be capitalised on.

€10 million a year, even with no TV money, could probably see you with 10 full time clubs. Create the product, ie the League, then why wouldn't TV companies be at least a little interested? Especially those that can't get the Top 14 for example. 

You'd want teams in Toulouse, Perpignan, Paris for sure. The first 2 as the centre of the 2 strongest existing clubs. The latter because if its not in Paris, France won't take notice.

Then key targets in areas familiar to RL like Avignon, Albi, Aquitane, Carcassonne/Aude, Beziers/Narbonne, etc. Ideally at least 50k population of the town itself but environs/regional coverage much higher than that. Not always possible but not impossible due to the local government support. I'd give priority to those without top level competitors from other sports first as I think they will yield greater results.

Then we get to the likes of Marseilles, Lyon etc. Its possible that these could be part of some expansion projects later on, or play host to on the road matches. I think if the choice had to be made on the focus to build up new clubs, then the priority has to be Paris first imo. 

NRL/SL aligned season or not is a big question. I certainly think more co-operation between the NH clubs could help everyone, perhaps revitalising the Challenge Cup in the process.

Could the NRL do it? Maybe, I doubt they will though!

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Tommygilf said:

 

Could the NRL do it? Maybe, I doubt they will though!

Why would the NRL put a penny into the French game, let alone £10m a year. They’re not even interested in the World Cup or ashes series, and it would have zero benefit for them. 

[Blind side johnny]

On 24/09/2025 at 16:08, Briacbzh said:

Average situation of the Super XIII :they play in front of about 200 people, have budgets of around €400,000, and their national media visibility is absolutely non-existent.

It’s comparable to fifth- or sixth-division rugby union or football.

So the question is:

With what money? Public authorities aren’t going to spend millions on this kind of project.

With which players?

With what media coverage?

What about TO and the Dragons?

Start with the vision of what can be achieved then build from there. Otherwise just dismiss out of hand any attempts to improve.

Unlike the UK France isn't completely dominated by football.

[Henson Park Old Firm]

27 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Why would the NRL put a penny into the French game, let alone £10m a year. They’re not even interested in the World Cup or ashes series, and it would have zero benefit for them. 

Because they need to players and new revenue streams.

[Eddie]

11 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

Because they need to players and new revenue streams.

They don’t though, they’re just signing a massive tv deal and have the pacific islands on their doorstep. 

[Eddie]

12 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

Start with the vision of what can be achieved then build from there. Otherwise just dismiss out of hand any attempts to improve.

Unlike the UK France isn't completely dominated by football.

They’re also have Union to compete with which English rugby league doesn’t.  

[Henson Park Old Firm]

Just now, Eddie said:

They don’t though, they’re just signing a massive tv deal and have the pacific islands on their doorstep. 

No they do... the competition is growing, and the NRL wants to expand in the Pacific and Europe and France/New Caledonia is a easy target. They know they can't dominate but if they can develop players relatively with ease and make some stable income they will go for it. This time and for the first the NRL has got there ducks in a row and mean business.

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

They’re also have Union to compete with which English rugby league doesn’t.  

We've done this before, multiple times, but French rugby league is, by participation, about as big as handball is in the UK. By attendance it is about as big county cricket if you took away T20.

This is not a foundation. Any miracle investment would also need to miracle-gro an entirely new landscape for the sport. You're not doing that for $10m in a rich country like France that has established sports and clubs in every town already.

And football may not be as endemic but, as you say, there is union but then there is also basketball, volleyball and handball, then the individual sports of tennis, cycling etc etc.

Success for RL in France wouldn't look too much different to now. A consistently competitive national team, a half dozen full time clubs, and a number of players turning pro in the UK and Australia. Get to that point, stay there for a bit, and then you could start to have a conversation about multi million dollar super investment.

[Blind side johnny]

8 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

We've done this before, multiple times, but French rugby league is, by participation, about as big as handball is in the UK. By attendance it is about as big county cricket if you took away T20.

This is not a foundation. Any miracle investment would also need to miracle-gro an entirely new landscape for the sport. You're not doing that for $10m in a rich country like France that has established sports and clubs in every town already.

And football may not be as endemic but, as you say, there is union but then there is also basketball, volleyball and handball, then the individual sports of tennis, cycling etc etc.

Success for RL in France wouldn't look too much different to now. A consistently competitive national team, a half dozen full time clubs, and a number of players turning pro in the UK and Australia. Get to that point, stay there for a bit, and then you could start to have a conversation about multi million dollar super investment.

Best just give up altogether, then.