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Pacifique X111

Messages
11,361
http://rlif.com/article/8953/pacifi...is-T1yS4KMkYcBDGPJO5lklnrp4_mGc3srpdUvLUkKbKg
The explosion in popularity of rugby league in the Pacific region over the past several years is set to continue with the unveiling of the Pacifique Treize Rugby League bid who are seeking to enter the Intrust Super Cup competition in 2023.

The Noumea, New Caledonia based bid has ambitions to not only develop an elite Intrust Super Cup side but also to further assist with the development of rugby league throughout French speaking Pacific territories including New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia and Vanuatu. The bid will also have strong links with the Solomon Islands.

A six-member steering committee, which has representation in New Caledonia and Australia and comprises French, Australian and Vanuatu nationalities, has been working for the past 12 months researching the feasibility of this bold bid. The Pacifique Treize bid (which literally translated means Pacific 13 in reference to the territory represented and the number of players in a rugby league team) will look to play 10 home games in Noumea and 2 games in Port Vila, which would provide the competition with an exciting new market in which to promote the competition.

With 300,000 people, New Caledonia has the population and also the economic capability to cater for a team in the Intrust Super Cup, which is widely touted as the second-best rugby league competition in the world. The infrastructure around stadiums, training venues, transport and major global companies, represents a unique opportunity for the game to expand and thrive in New Caledonia.

Another exciting initiative that Pacifique Treize will look to develop is a close alliance with the Australian South Sea Islander (ASSI) communities in Queensland, which share historical links to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Given the large population of ASSI communities in regional towns such as Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Bundaberg, Cairns and Tweed Heads, it could mean that the Pacifique Treize would be well supported for “away” games in these regions.

The Pacifique Treize bid has taken inspiration from the success of PNG Hunters in the Intrust Super Cup competition and the rise of the Toronto Wolfpack from Canada which progressed quickly from bid concept to the European Super League in a very short space of time. A close eye will also be kept on the progression of the Kaiviti Silktails from Fiji, who embark on their own similar journey to Pacifique Treize as of the 2020 season, albeit in the New South Wales competitions as opposed to the Intrust Super Cup.

“We are looking forward to the engagement process with the Intrust Super Cup officials and other relvant stakeholders to meet the guidelines required for entry – we believe in this project and we are confident of our success” Pacifique Treize Communications Director, Laurent Garnier stated.

Mr Garnier also commented, “This will be a real advancement for the competition as we seek to bring a new, interesting product for the fans and we hope to engage with the Australian South Sea Islander community so that we can create a great atmosphere for the fans at the away games as well as the home ones.

“As the competition grows to 16 teams, we are confident that we can provide the added value that the league is seeking,” Mr Garnier said.

Fans are encouraged to visit www.pacifique13.com and to “register as a fan” and to be a part of some amazing upcoming promotions and engagement opportunities, including the competition to name mascot and logo competition in late 2020.
 
Messages
11,361
brandinformation.png

http://pacifique13.com/en/about/brand/

The Pacifique Treize branding has been designed with the view of uniting all of the territories we cover in a way that delivers a unique colour scheme that is not currently being used by another team in the Intrust Super Cup competition.

It is important to note that the above logo is the “Bid logo” and that the eventual team name will determine the logo that the team will be running out on to the field for our first game with. The team logo / mascot will be chosen through a comprehensive fan engagement competition in late 2020 which will be made available to everyone who registers as a fan.
 

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,546
Interesting idea that will help grow the Oceania RL minnows

A West Indies style of idea that didn't really work for Fiji Tonga Samoa but could work well in this case
 

latingringo101

Juniors
Messages
585
Looks exciting, hopefully becomes a great hit with the French pacific/SSI communities.

Just curious if these players would eventually play for France or Islander countries if represented internationally. Still be great for the development of the game north east of oz
 

taipan

Referee
Messages
22,402
I like the idea.At least in these French territories the Union influence won't throw up barriers.
All I can say Pacifique is Magnifique
 

Perth Tiger

Bench
Messages
3,022
It could really open up some funding and sponsorship opportunities for the Qld cup if they can spread their reach across the pacific.

As an aside any word on how the Fiji team is handling the break/plans for next year?
 

magpie_man

Juniors
Messages
1,973
Just listening about this now on the Chasing Kangaroos podcast.
I've always wondered about New Caledonia; Grand Terre is a massive island with a relatively large population and decent infrastructure in Noumea particularly. It always seemed like a tantalising opportunity for RL - I'm stoked to hear about this.
With New Caledonia being a special collectivity of France, I wonder if this provides an easy conduit for French Elite players to gain experience and exposure around the NRL; I can think of worse ways to spend a year or two when you're young.
 

adamkungl

Immortal
Messages
42,955
What an excellent idea. New Caledonia and Vanuatu are the two largest islands in the Pacific that don't have a strong Rugby League team but that might soon change.

Looks exciting, hopefully becomes a great hit with the French pacific/SSI communities.

Just curious if these players would eventually play for France or Islander countries if represented internationally. Still be great for the development of the game north east of oz

New Caledonians would be eligible for France. NC is a french territory, and is not recognised as a nation so won't have their own test team*.

Vanuatu is an independent republic as of 1908 or so - so Vanuatu-born players would not be directly eligible for France, however there might be a significant number who qualify through heritage.
An interesting question actually - if a player is born in the Republic of Vanuatu in 1995, but his father was born in French-territory Vanuatu in 1970, does he qualify for France through the parent heritage rule?

French Polynesia is an interesting one which someone with a better understanding of geopolitics might be able to answer better.
French Polynesia is designated as an "Overseas Country" of France. So it is labelled as a country and has significant autonomy, but seems less independent than Cook Islands to New Zealand. All citizens of French Polynesia are French citizens.
So - all FP players would be eligible to represent France.
However, what's not clear is whether there could be a French Polynesia national team that is eligible for international competition, which would make players eligible for both (again similar to Cook Islands).
There is precedent - Tahiti compete in international soccer World Cup qualification as recently as 2015.
*backtracking to an earlier part, New Caledonia also are FIFA members who compete in World Cup qualifications. So... ????????????????


So all that confusion aside.. if this kicks off, one day I would love to see France as a one-off guest/wildcard entry in the Oceania Cup (like Australia in Eurovision!) hosting games out of Noumea!
 

adamkungl

Immortal
Messages
42,955
Just listening about this now on the Chasing Kangaroos podcast.
I've always wondered about New Caledonia; Grand Terre is a massive island with a relatively large population and decent infrastructure in Noumea particularly. It always seemed like a tantalising opportunity for RL - I'm stoked to hear about this.
With New Caledonia being a special collectivity of France, I wonder if this provides an easy conduit for French Elite players to gain experience and exposure around the NRL; I can think of worse ways to spend a year or two when you're young.

Those that don't make the cut at Catalans first team could certainly do worse than play a couple of years on a beautiful island against Queensland Cup talent.
 
Messages
11,361
Just and idea but..

With the PNG Hunters, Kaiviti Silktails and now the potential New Caledonia team your about 5 clubs short of a proper Pacific Rugby League comp. Have a team in Tonga, Samoa, 2 from New Zealand (north island and south island with players coming from the Cook Islands ) and one more in PNG you could have a 2 conference league, 1 Polynesian 1 Melaneisan comp.
Conference winners play eachother in a 3 series super bowl style final.

Potential names, Pacific Rim Super League (Super Ligue du Pacifique) or NRL Pacific



Omg I just jizzed myself.
 

jim_57

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
4,298
Just and idea but..

With the PNG Hunters, Kaiviti Silktails and now the potential New Caledonia team your about 5 clubs short of a proper Pacific Rugby League comp. Have a team in Tonga, Samoa, 2 from New Zealand (north island and south island with players coming from the Cook Islands ) and one more in PNG you could have a 2 conference league, 1 Polynesian 1 Melaneisan comp.
Conference winners play eachother in a 3 series super bowl style final.

Potential names, Pacific Rim Super League (Super Ligue du Pacifique) or NRL Pacific



Omg I just jizzed myself.

It would probably be more feasible for teams like PNG to play in QLD Cup then it would be to play against New Caledonia, Tonga, Christchurch, Fiji. I'm not all over the flight network out of Port Moresby, Noumea, Apia or Nadi but I imagine to get from Island to Island would probably require going to Australia or NZ along the way anyway.

Best case scenario I could see long term would be a NZ Cup to rival QLD & NSW Cup. Maybe that could include a team from Tonga or Samoa, probably more likely it would have to be all NZ based teams with teams "partnering" with Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands etc to play a game or 2 there and create development pathways.
 

Perth Tiger

Bench
Messages
3,022
Just and idea but..

With the PNG Hunters, Kaiviti Silktails and now the potential New Caledonia team your about 5 clubs short of a proper Pacific Rugby League comp. Have a team in Tonga, Samoa, 2 from New Zealand (north island and south island with players coming from the Cook Islands ) and one more in PNG you could have a 2 conference league, 1 Polynesian 1 Melaneisan comp.
Conference winners play eachother in a 3 series super bowl style final.

Potential names, Pacific Rim Super League (Super Ligue du Pacifique) or NRL Pacific



Omg I just jizzed myself.
Still think it would be a good idea to base it around the Q Cup or an Aussie comp for the financial support and sponsorship opportunities. You imagine every tourist industry in the respective islands would love to have the names plastered over a jersey seen regularly in an Aussie market
 

jim_57

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
4,298
If the backing is there for this to be realistic it's great news nobody would have really expected. If it survives long term it would mean a few stronger nations to potentially add to the Pacific/Oceania tournaments, plus being based in New Caledonia it should help build France's strength & depth.

Regarding New Caledonia what is the sports scene there? Soccer, Union, both or neither? I've never heard any mention of Rugby League played there from memory. Also is someone born and raised in New Caledonia going to be proud and willing to play for France on the national stage?
 

langpark

First Grade
Messages
5,867
There is precedent - Tahiti compete in international soccer World Cup qualification as recently as 2015.
*backtracking to an earlier part, New Caledonia also are FIFA members who compete in World Cup qualifications. So... ????????????????

So all that confusion aside.. if this kicks off, one day I would love to see France as a one-off guest/wildcard entry in the Oceania Cup (like Australia in Eurovision!) hosting games out of Noumea!
All technicalities and "fine print" aside for a moment, I have a more practical question: Do young New Caledonians actually grow up dreaming of playing for France? I have a feeling they don't.

As you say, they compete independently in other sports and have also done so in Rugby League during their brief existence. So all those getting carried away that they will be stampeding each other to pledge their allegiance to France, might be disappointed.

Following on from this, they will surely have to set up some sort of Association/Federation to administer the local league, and then from that, they will probably apply to form their own national team. But, anyway, that's probably step 3, right now we are on step 1.
 
Messages
11,361
The explosion in popularity of rugby league in the Pacific region over the past several years is set to continue with the unveiling of the Pacifique Treize Rugby League bid who are seeking to enter the Intrust Super Cup competition, based in Queensland in 2023.

The Noumea, New Caledonia based bid has ambitions to not only develop an elite Intrust Super Cup side but also to further assist with the development of rugby league throughout French speaking Pacific territories including New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia and Vanuatu.





A six-member steering committee, which has representation in New Caledonia and Australia and comprises French, Australian and Vanuatu nationalities, has been working for the past 12 months researching the feasibility of this bold bid. The Pacifique Treize bid (which literally translated means Pacific 13 in reference to the territory and the number of players in a rugby league team) will seek to establish a close relationship with the Vanuatu Rugby League, given the geographical, historical and cultural ties between New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The intention is that Vanuatu could host two games per season from 2023 onwards should the Pacifique Treize bid be successful in gaining entry into the Intrust Super Cup.


With a population of close to 800,000 people across the whole catchment, Pacifique Treize has a perfect base to set up the side. Discussions between the Pacifique Treize steering committee and the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) have been ongoing since mid-2019. The QRL, who are the governing body of the Intrust Super Cup, have publicly stated that they would like to expand the competition from its current 14 team structure to 16 teams by the year 2023. As such, Pacifique Treize will be formulating a thorough Expression of Interest to be considered as an “expansion” team to the Intrust Super Cup should the 16-team competition become a reality.

Pacifique Treize has taken inspiration from the success of PNG Hunters who have participated in the Intrust Super Cup since 2014 and also the rise of the Toronto Wolfpack from a non-rugby league city in Canada to the European Super League in a very short space of time. The bid will be keeping a close eye on the progression of the Kaiviti Silktails from Fiji, who embark on their own similar journey of playing in Australia from 2020 onwards.

Vanuatu represents a very important part of the Pacifique Treize ambitions, with Vanuatu to be seen as a key development market for playing talent and also a host destination for touring teams into the future.

“We are looking forward to the engagement process with stakeholders and the Queensland Rugby League to meet the guidelines required for entry into the Intrust Super Cup for the 2023 season. We believe in this project and we are confident of our success” Pacifique Treize Vanuatu Engagement Director and VRL Board Member, Sandy Marango stated.

vanutr.jpg


Mr Marango also commented “As someone with a deep passion to see rugby league develop in my home country, I am proud to be a part of this process and I hope the people of Vanuatu will get behind this bid. I strongly believe Vanuatu has some wonderful rugby league players and through further development pathways I hope we can see more players playing at a very high standard which will further advance not only the Pacifique Treize cause but also the Vanuatu national team”.

Acting VRL President Antonio Korikalo added “We are very supportive of the Pacifique Treize bid and have been consulted and engaged throughout the entire process by the bid team. The Pacifique Treize bid aligns with our objectives, particularly to provide pathway opportunities for talented Ni-Vanuatu into high-performance programs and into semi-professional and professional playing opportunities and showcasing top-level rugby league in Vanuatu. We are currently working on a partnership agreement to formalise our relationship and how we will jointly deliver VRL / Pacifique Treize activities in Vanuatu moving forward”.

Supporters are encouraged “register as a fan” at www.pacifique13.com to be a part of historic upcoming promotions and engagement opportunities, including a competition to select the mascot and team name which will happen later in 2020.
https://everythingrugbyleague.com/pacifique-treize-set-sights-on-intrust-super-cup/
 
Messages
11,361
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...r/news-story/5f3f980bc2b5a8d2ca19bed6f38b162e

Fancy going and watching your team in New Caledonia or Vanuatu?

Seems unlikely sure, but it could be a reality sooner thank you think.

A bid has been launched to enter a team into Queensland’s Intrust Super Cup, which would see a side representing the French-speaking Pacific join the competition by 2023.

Hot on the back of the success of the PNG Hunters, Pacifique Treize want to play home games in Noumea, New Caledonia and Port Vila, Vanuatu.

If successful with their bid, they hope to tap into the big South Sea Island populations on Queensland’s coastline for their away games.


They also believe their admission would open up the opportunities to players through the French-speaking Pacific and France itself to make it at professional level.

Laurent Garnier, a coach who has worked with the Melbourne Storm and played at a high level for France said he hopes the Queensland Rugby League powerbrokers will see the value in adding the Pacifique Treize side.

9525c5826bed2f5d81bcb0b6b116181b

Queensland-based Frenchman Laurent Garnier is the man behind the bidSource: News Limited
“We are looking forward to the engagement process with the Intrust Super Cup officials and other relevant stakeholders to meet the guidelines required for entry – we believe in this project and we are confident of our success” he said.


“This will be a real advancement for the competition as we seek to bring a new, interesting product for the fans and we hope to engage with the Australian South Sea islander community so that we can create a great atmosphere for the fans at the away games as well as the home ones.

“As the competition grows to 16 teams, we are confident that we can provide the added value that the league is seeking.”
 

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