CC game in Barcelona

[AlbertRosenfeld]

So what if Catalans beat Hull FC.....??

The semis are supposed to be played at a neutral venue. The big question is whether Barcelona could be considered a neutral venue. After all Barcelona is in Spain, not in France.

 

[screeny]

The semis are supposed to be played at a neutral venue. The big question is whether Barcelona could be considered a neutral venue. After all Barcelona is in Spain, not in France.

That would be a first for RL on two levels: first game in Spain, first neutral country as opposed to ground for a CC semi.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

They have played a game in Spain before.

 

[brendothejet]

my sentiments exactly....the olympic stadium is too large...catalan would be far better off playing the game @ the mini estadi, barcelona's 16,500 capacity reserve stadium

a 10,000+ crowd would look far better in there than them rattling around in a 55,000 capacity stadium like the olympic stadium....

Unreal looking stadium.

Very very cool.

 

[screeny]

They have played a game in Spain before.

Have they? When? The only one I recall being scheduled got cancelled.

 

[yankeerugger]

I have had similar visions for RL development in these fields... would agree that this venue (too large, with an athletics track) is not the best possible one.

What I'd think would be a good set up would be if "southern Catalonia" (spanish side of the border) had one premier RL side based out of Barcelona. Bring in a few french catalans players, and add them to the locally developed talent... Start this club in the French amature lower ranks, and work on promoting them up through the divisions to eventually make it to the "National 1" (what ever the french call their elite semi-pro level)...

By this time they will have a decent regional league structure with a strong grass roots level. All of this would serve as a recruiting base from which the best spanish (catalans) RL players would be gleaned to play for the Barcalona RL club in the french competition...

This club, would then provide base from which the Catalans Dragons could recruite players from, and provide the best spanish players the opportunity to further their skills... ultimatly providing a stronger Spanish national RL side.

That's my vision anyway.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Have they? When? The only one I recall being scheduled got cancelled.

Sorry it took so long to repond, I was at the Club having a few.

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/07/05/13/RUGBYL_Whitehaven_Quotes.html

If it comes off, the tie will be played at the Olympic Stadium almost 14 years to the day since Barcelona staged its first rugby league match.
A crowd of around 10,000 watched Huddersfield beat XIII Catalan - the forerunner of the present club - in June 1993 in a match billed grandly as the European Cup final.

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

They have played a game in Spain before.

In 2005 UTC --- in preparation for involving Spain in the upcoming Catalans SL venture --- played an LER match at Figueras, which is 30 minutes from the French border. I think it was against Limoux.

Last year they planned to take a Catalans SL game there but it was cancelled because of storm damage to the pitch, so they moved it to Narbonne or Carcassonne (I forget which).

So Spain, or should I say Spanish Catalonia, has always been in the sights of Bernard Guasch.

Here's hoping that Les Catalans can beat Hull FC in the CC in June, and get another shot at Barcelona, but not in the Olympic monstrosity.

 

[brendothejet]

i hope cats win the whole cup cause ive got money on em at very good odds

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

I hope they do it for you Brendo, just not 2 years in a row like we mentioned before ;-)