The grand plan

[Pippen94]

Check out what French rugby league looked like in the 1940s

If we are judging by today Catalans and toulose would never have joined super league

English league covers a very narrow sliver of land in the backwaters of England that most people have never heard of (outer suburbs of Manchester and Liverpool)

Btw, what to you make of NRL tv deal talk.

 

[Wb1234]

Btw, what to you make of NRL tv deal talk.

As part of the super league tv deal ? Maybe

Don’t see why it means they need to own super league

I’ll be surprised if these talks proceed but Pvl seems keen

 

[Pippen94]

As part of the super league tv deal ? Maybe

Don’t see why it means they need to own super league

I’ll be surprised if these talks proceed but Pvl seems keen

How do you think NRL tv deal talks are going in general?!

 

[Wb1234]

How do you think NRL tv deal talks are going in general?!

Seems behind schedule

Delay could be good or bad nobody knows (could be to get super league involved)

Still minimum we get is 600 million pa which for me is a bad result

Seven years at 700 million is a good chance

Beating afl grand final last year plus our finals beating theirs is the cherry on top

By guess is 600 to 630 million cash pa

 

[Wb1234]

Peak league in France was 50's after war. Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier died off or were near dead by 1980's. Catalans remained a strong hold and Toulouse remained the biggest city. Look at map of clubs I posted. V'landys said today he is still interested in joint NRL and superleague broadcast deal just not this round. Comp will combine strongest french and UK teams and will be better starting point.

Roots had been killed off

Strength in the 50s was from the roots built in the 1940s

Remember first ever rugby World Cup (either code) was in France

 

[Gobsmacked]

Roots had been killed off

Strength in the 50s was from the roots built in the 1940s

Remember first ever rugby World Cup (either code) was in France

You can't make an argument for France based on the past, it's irrelevant. it's 2026.

What's reality today? What are the trend lines telling us? What are the head winds?

 

[Wb1234]

You can't make an argument for France based on the past, it's irrelevant. it's 2026.

What's reality today? What are the trend lines telling us? What are the head winds?

Catalans and toulose came from nowhere did they ?

 

[Pippen94]

Catalans and toulose came from nowhere did they ?

They came from french comp. Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulon are all long since dead.

 

[Pippen94]

As part of the super league tv deal ? Maybe

Don’t see why it means they need to own super league

I’ll be surprised if these talks proceed but Pvl seems keen

V'landys said it wouldn't happen this broadcast deal because superleague expires in 2026 not 2027 like NRL. Said joint deal would potentially happen if Nrl invested.

 

[Wb1234]

They came from french comp. Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulon are all long since dead.

Yeh Lyon marseille Bordeaux and Avignon.

Toulose and Catalans

Toulon has never been much in league has it ?

Some of the smaller clubs like leizgnan

Then maybe an Italian club

That’s what the nrl should be investing in

Former Italian rugby league clubs went to union bc rugby league neglected them and are still around today I think

Toulose being a success in super league will be a turning point for the French game imo

If they stay in super league they will turn over 15 million euros plus

 

[Perth Red]

Yeh Lyon marseille Bordeaux and Avignon.

Toulose and Catalans

Toulon has never been much in league has it ?

Some of the smaller clubs like leizgnan

Then maybe an Italian club

That’s what the nrl should be investing in

Former Italian rugby league clubs went to union bc rugby league neglected them and are still around today I think

Toulose being a success in super league will be a turning point for the French game imo

If they stay in super league they will turn over 15 million euros plus

Generally when you invest you want a return. To setup a ft pro league in France and Italy you’d be looking at $40-50mill a year investment. Wheres the return for the nrl? They arent a charity and vlad doesn’t come across as the philanthropic type!

Toulouse are poor, they got their council grant cut and by all accounts will operate on a very low budget this season. They’ll do well to survive in SL let alone be a turning point for anything.

 

[Wb1234]

Generally when you invest you want a return. To setup a ft pro league in France and Italy you’d be looking at $40-50mill a year investment. Wheres the return for the nrl? They arent a charity and vlad doesn’t come across as the philanthropic type!

Toulouse are poor, they got their council grant cut and by all accounts will operate on a very low budget this season. They’ll do well to survive in SL let alone be a turning point for anything.

Where’s the return investing in a broke league like super league

Nrl would never get the money back either

 

[Perth Red]

Where’s the return investing in a broke league like super league

Nrl would never get the money back either

It’s an established comp, no start up fees. It’s already generating around $50mill a year in revenue. You’d only invest in it if you thought you could increase its audience and there by the revenue it can generate.
So yeh investing say $10mill a year into SL with its established business, customer and supply base, or $50 mill a year into a start up in two countries with very ltd interest and virtually no current revenue generation I’d say is a bit of a no brainer decision.

 

[Wb1234]

It’s an established comp, no start up fees. It’s already generating around $50mill a year in revenue. You’d only invest in it if you thought you could increase its audience and there by the revenue it can generate.
So yeh investing say $10mill a year into SL with its established business, customer and supply base, or $50 mill a year into a start up in two countries with very ltd interest and virtually no current revenue generation I’d say is a bit of a no brainer decision.

They (England) can’t pay back their Covid loans

This might shock you but France is also an established league

France has more upside than England does

And the French would do what the nrl wants in terms of comp structure and mergers or not putting village teams in the elite league if the nrl doesn’t want them

 

[Gobsmacked]

They (England) can’t pay back their Covid loans

This might shock you but France is also an established league

France has more upside than England does

And the French would do what the nrl wants in terms of comp structure and mergers or not putting village teams in the elite league if the nrl doesn’t want them

"France has more upside than England does

And the French would do what the nrl wants in terms of comp structure and mergers or not putting village teams in the elite league if the nrl doesn’t want them"

This is all just in your head though.
Not one aspect of what you're saying is evident anywhere. Completely baseless assumptions.
Baseless.

I'd love a successful France and I think we can do something, what that is I don't know.. potential upside, also a complete unknown.

 

[Wb1234]

"France has more upside than England does

And the French would do what the nrl wants in terms of comp structure and mergers or not putting village teams in the elite league if the nrl doesn’t want them"

This is all just in your head though.
Not one aspect of what you're saying is evident anywhere. Completely baseless assumptions.
Baseless.

I'd love a successful France and I think we can do something, what that is I don't know.. potential upside, also a complete unknown.

Catalans was a merger of two existing French teams 13 Catalan and st eveste

Les Catalans revenue of 13 million euro is on par with Leeds rhinos revenue even though Leeds is a big city and peripgnan a small town

 

[Gobsmacked]

Catalans was a merger of two existing French teams 13 Catalan and st eveste

Les Catalans revenue of 13 million euro is on par with Leeds rhinos revenue even though Leeds is a big city and peripgnan a small town

And they're in SL.
And one club.

 

[Wb1234]

And they're in SL.
And one club.

If toulose stay in super league they will be bigger than Catalans and one of the biggest in the super league

Where’s the growth in England going to come from ?

Newcastle Salford and Sheffield are basketcases

London will need tens of millions and their best crowd average is 5 to 6k

 

[Gobsmacked]

If toulose stay in super league they will be bigger than Catalans and one of the biggest in the super league

Where’s the growth in England going to come from ?

Newcastle Salford and Sheffield are basketcases

London will need tens of millions and their best crowd average is 5 to 6k

Hope you're right about Toulouse but bigger city doesn't mean bigger club, especially when they have a big Rugby club to compete with.
I'm just hoping they become viable long term, average over 6k and good finances.
They're so valuable for the French international game. They've been promoted at a crucial time too with the world cup upcoming.

I'd love to see a French league, it's certainly doable but you're in fantasy land thinking it's easier to develop than SL.

The ideal scenario is the NRL buy SL , keep the 2 French clubs and make the whole comp more financial viable, with better financed clubs and bring the whole standard on and off the pitch to a higher standard.

 

[Wb1234]

Hope you're right about Toulouse but bigger city doesn't mean bigger club, especially when they have a big Rugby club to compete with.
I'm just hoping they become viable long term, average over 6k and good finances.
They're so valuable for the French international game. They've been promoted at a crucial time too with the world cup upcoming.

I'd love to see a French league, it's certainly doable but you're in fantasy land thinking it's easier to develop than SL.

The ideal scenario is the NRL buy SL , keep the 2 French clubs and make the whole comp more financial viable, with better financed clubs and bring the whole standard on and off the pitch to a higher standard.

Catalans are competing with usap who are huge

They are so influential they banned Catalans from playing on their council owned stadia the Aimee giral

Toulose have a good relationship with the local union side they were playing games at their ground. Don’t know if they plan on going back to one of their smaller grounds in the outskirts of the city

Thing about France sport is the local councils pump loads of money into sports teams to make them strong

Toulose isn’t a new club either

There’s talk of English championship and the French leagues merging

The realistic option for France is four French super league teams rather than their own league but it needs a French tv deal that pays money which hopefully toulose might bring

If France get strong again you’ve got the international game which will benefit

There’s loads of places in the south of France that might support a super league team

Lyon marseille Avignon etc etc

This is where nrl being involved in super league might work

I can’t see where Aussies can grow the existing super league clubs much they are already close to potential except Bradford and Wakey

But investors in Sheffield Newcastle and Salford would be good

I wish Lockyer and his mate had bought Salford that’s more likely to turn around long term than London