Jacque Fouroux's France Rugby League was the blueprint for a professional french comp

[The Daddy2]

It's interesting to go back in time and look at the concept behind Jacques Fouroux's competition back in 1995-1996. It was the competition which would've brought france back into the professional era had it continued, the teams which competed in the comp were more or less the areas where rugby league could have had a professional team.

Some of the teams included:

Paris
Toulouse
Catalonia
Marseille
Vaucluse
Aude
Lyon

Along with a couple of others which slip my mind, if you replace Catalonia with the Dragons and Olympique for Toulouse then were a quarter of the way there, just need a few teams to be set up and a tv contract now.

 

[langpark]

I was going to raise a similar topic myself. How far off are we from having a professional French league? Is it possible that they could one day muster 12 teams to have a pro league? For example;

Catalans
Toulouse
Montpellier
Avignon
Lyon
Lezignan
Carcassonne
Bordeaux
St Gaudens
Villeneuve
Marseille franchise?
Italian franchise?

In the 2020's maybe... But the biggest problem with any league turning pro is that it can't happen overnight. They need to somehow set out a long-term blueprint as to how it can happen, here's how I'd go about it, though it also depends on individual clubs and how the amount of progress they make...

2015: Toulouse and Avignon join as SL becomes a 16 team competition
2018: Montpellier and Carcassonne "...................18........................"
2021: Lezignan and Lyon"..................................20......................."
2021: (France sole or joint hosts of Rugby League World Cup)

2024: French Professional League kicks off as the 7 French Super League clubs move back and join 3 French-based clubs who are ready to turn pro... So it begins as a 10 team competition, while the English Super League is cut back to 12 or 14 teams again....

 

[NRL-TGG]

Could you really give that much to the English competition and then pull out?

 

[langpark]

Could you really give that much to the English competition and then pull out?

Yeah why not? I've thought long and hard about it and I don't think there is any other way to do it... It wouldn't be too different from one big league splitting into an Eastern and Western conference...

 

[Evil Homer]

I liked your proposal Langpark but there's no way Super League would expand in that way - it is an English competition after all. Honestly I'd be surprised if we ever see more than 3 French teams in Super League. Obviously the aim should be for a standalone French competition, but the only way I can see that happening is if they get a TV deal/sponsorships that will enable 6 or 7 new full-time clubs at once, sort of like what happened in 1996 in the UK.

 

[langpark]

Well it's funny you mention that, because I meant to ask earlier but got a bit carried away with my 'French Super League' vision


What sort of state was English Rugby League in before Super League began? I was a bit young at the time and not following English RL. How did they go about the transition?


Also, it goes without saying, but a big factor in the transition needs to be a big increase in junior participation, this is why every party involved needs to all be doing their part, the French Federation and individual clubs as well...

PS: you are right when you say it's an English competition, but hopefully the benefits involved are enough to entice them into such an expansion. If the likes of Toulouse and Montpellier were to be playing in SL then I'm sure a few of the bigger TV stations of France would become more interested in bidding for TV rights...

 

[miguel de cervantes]

The only way a pro comp will emerge in France will be via either a huge shot of money from someone with millions to gamble, or enough momentum is built up with 2-3 teams in Super League which then break off to form a separate league as outlined above. Note this would still require a very large and risky investment of money.

For these reasons, a pro league is very unlikely.

 

[NRL-TGG]

Yeah why not? I've thought long and hard about it and I don't think there is any other way to do it... It wouldn't be too different from one big league splitting into an Eastern and Western conference...

The only problem with it is the effect it can have on the Super League.

Assuming your plans go off without any issues and are great success, that would lift the Super League is a much higher level then it is now. Hopefully that would mean higher crowds and TV figures.

But then to take out what made that competition get to those heights may just drop that competition down to back what is was.

That's my only issue, I know the NRL would lose a lot if it were to suddenly lose the Warriors.

 

[Number 16]

A SL France isn't going to happen in my lifetime. The game is just too far away from where they need to be to create that.

A second, and possibly third, French club in ESL within the next decade is achievable. That, and an improved and stable domestic Elite competition of the quality of England's Co-operative Championship is more realistic and would lift the national team to another level.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Not really, they're only really a TV deal away from it now.

It doesn't have to be huge like the NRL or ESL, it could start off like the A League did out here.

 

[langpark]

The only problem with it is the effect it can have on the Super League.

Assuming your plans go off without any issues and are great success, that would lift the Super League is a much higher level then it is now. Hopefully that would mean higher crowds and TV figures.

But then to take out what made that competition get to those heights may just drop that competition down to back what is was.

That's my only issue, I know the NRL would lose a lot if it were to suddenly lose the Warriors.

Fair point. Maybe both could be a part of the 'Euro Super League', eastern and western division. 10 teams in each, you play each team in your league twice, then you play cross divisional, every team in the other league once, meaning both leagues have a 27 match season... This will mean the TV deals both in France and the UK won't lose value because it is still technically the one division, just split into east and west (like MLS in America).

I'm just trying to brainstorm here and think of ways in which it could happen. Also, I think sooner rather than later, the French should look at switching to summer seasons...

Not really, they're only really a TV deal away from it now.

It doesn't have to be huge like the NRL or ESL, it could start off like the A League did out here.

I don't think it's that simple. A TV deal would help, but to me the single biggest and most important factor is junior playing numbers. This is the foundation of the sport and you can't build a house with no foundation. Just think, if the junior ranks could double their playing numbers, how much stronger French RL could be in 10 years when these kids move into the senior ranks of the game...

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Fair point. Maybe both could be a part of the 'Euro Super League', eastern and western division. 10 teams in each, you play each team in your league twice, then you play cross divisional, every team in the other league once, meaning both leagues have a 27 match season... This will mean the TV deals both in France and the UK won't lose value because it is still technically the one division, just split into east and west (like MLS in America).

I'm just trying to brainstorm here and think of ways in which it could happen. Also, I think sooner rather than later, the French should look at switching to summer seasons...


I don't think it's that simple. A TV deal would help, but to me the single biggest and most important factor is junior playing numbers. This is the foundation of the sport and you can't build a house with no foundation. Just think, if the junior ranks could double their playing numbers, how much stronger French RL could be in 10 years when these kids move into the senior ranks of the game...

Problem is, it all goes hand in hand, you need exposure and you need $$$ to pay for DO's and such.

 

[biggestbroncosfan]

I'm not a fan of splitting the Super League comp into conferences. In the long term I'd obviously like to see SL become just a British comp and have teams from only England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The best way forward for France would be to have their own competition, I'd probably even throw in 1 Italian team; the new league could look like this;
Catalan
Toulouse
Avignon
Lezignan
Montpellier
Paris
Lyon
Carcassonne
Northern Italian team
Marseille
though realistically might take at least 10 years to happen.

 

[RedVee]

I'm not a fan of splitting the Super League comp into conferences. In the long term I'd obviously like to see SL become just a British comp and have teams from only England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The best way forward for France would be to have their own competition, I'd probably even throw in 1 Italian team; the new league could look like this;
Catalan
Toulouse
Avignon
Lezignan
Montpellier
Paris
Lyon
Carcassonne
Northern Italian team
Marseille
though realistically might take at least 10 years to happen.

So you mean British & Irish....

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

http://misterrugby.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/cetait-la-france-rugby-league-du-petit-caporal/

http://www.rugbyforumxiii.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=48603

 

[bender]

The only way a pro comp will emerge in France will be via either a huge shot of money from someone with millions to gamble, or enough momentum is built up with 2-3 teams in Super League which then break off to form a separate league as outlined above. Note this would still require a very large and risky investment of money.

For these reasons, a pro league is very unlikely.

I am not 100 % certain that this is true. I like out of the square solutions and here is one.

Why not run the French elite as a feeder competition similar to the Qld Cup.
Strong traditional clubs (with expansion areas where warranted).

Each club would link with one NRL club and one ESL club. The salary cap is lowered, so that teams dont waste all their money on wages and can spend on juniors and advertising more. The sides are to be given players from their linked NRL club, whether they be contracted juniors and/or bigger named past club stalwarts or big name marquees looking to make extra dollars. Marquee wages dont count towards either salary cap.

TV coverage would be sold to Australia, NZ and England where the NRL/ESL link would garner some added interest, as would marquee players (like it did in the old English days), and with the marquee players, they might just get some interest from the French which would help the competition evolve. Plus, being in the summer there is the chance to garner quite a bit of interest from from Australia and England, from those who are missing their rugby league.

 

[Dark Corner]

This topic was brought up on TotalRugbyLeague and saw this for the first time but can't remember hear about back in 1995...so when did these games happen and what's with the ARL type jerseys ?

 

[cumbrian Mackem]

This topic was brought up on TotalRugbyLeague and saw this for the first time but can't remember hear about back in 1995...so when did these games happen and what's with the ARL type jerseys ?

Haha!! That was me

 

[Dark Corner]

Haha!! That was me

Good post and can never get my head around not knowing about this esp with the French teams wearing ARL tops.
Why the name cumbrian Mackem ?

 

[cumbrian Mackem]

Good post and can never get my head around not knowing about this esp with the French teams wearing ARL tops.
Why the name cumbrian Mackem ?

Purely a guess on my part but this competition put together by jacques fouroux was held in the summer after the domestic elite 1 season and they probably didn’t have time to design and create jerseys for the teams?

I’m originally from Cumbria and support Sunderland AFC. Ha’way the lads