Toulouse for Super League in 2008?

[screeny]

I would think that SKY's management can see the new media opportunities being opened up by Catalans' recent successes, plus the stimulus a foreign team provides to the league, and work out for themselves that down the track this will mean a more developed comp with a wider audience, more aspirant customers and therefore more dough.

 

[winnyason]

look at there finances it would be dumb not to as allow them in, sure there crowds would only be around the 5 thousand mark but a lot better than celtic who i would think may be lucky to get to 3 or for that matter the welington bid(laughable wake up Gallop you idiot) or a 2nd london side (where are the fans).
Toulouse averages will increase i think a rugby stronghold with a taste for league in my opinion, it would help england get a geniune test neigbour on a regular basis, nothing against celtic just doubt the fans are there yet.
No doubt they will be like london in personel wise 3/4 of aussies & kiwis for a few years,
they don't have the best junior talent available so no doubt they would look to lezignan, villenvue, cassonne for juniors.
Here is a list of the french elite boys & toulouse players who would be in superleague 25.
constant villlgas, sylvain houles, teddy saudoni, max gresque(depending on his time at wakey), forcade abasse, cedric gay, sebastain planas, damien coutier(nl1), sebastian martins(nl1) also fringe catalans boys such as adel fellous, the bentley boys, remy casty
& possibly oliver elima & julian rinaldi.
No doubt that import wise if they get the call in late 2007 they must get a riggle on as none of they current imports are up to sl level(jamie macdonald, trent clayton,luke branigan).

 

[winnyason]

photos of bid & news from website

 

[winnyason]

sorry guys photo on next post

 

[winnyason]

 

[In-goal]

Now then

Celtic Crusaders foreign!

Yes yes, although British they are not English, hence Celts not Anglo Saxon.

Much like the Frogs are Gaelic yet we are Anglos, strange how some of us all look the same.

 

[screeny]

look at there finances it would be dumb not to as allow them in, sure there crowds would only be around the 5 thousand mark but a lot better than celtic who i would think may be lucky to get to 3 or for that matter the welington bid(laughable wake up Gallop you idiot) or a 2nd london side (where are the fans).
Toulouse averages will increase i think a rugby stronghold with a taste for league in my opinion, it would help england get a geniune test neigbour on a regular basis, nothing against celtic just doubt the fans are there yet.
No doubt they will be like london in personel wise 3/4 of aussies & kiwis for a few years,
they don't have the best junior talent available so no doubt they would look to lezignan, villenvue, cassonne for juniors.
Here is a list of the french elite boys & toulouse players who would be in superleague 25.
constant villlgas, sylvain houles, teddy saudoni, max gresque(depending on his time at wakey), forcade abasse, cedric gay, sebastain planas, damien coutier(nl1), sebastian martins(nl1) also fringe catalans boys such as adel fellous, the bentley boys, remy casty
& possibly oliver elima & julian rinaldi.
No doubt that import wise if they get the call in late 2007 they must get a riggle on as none of they current imports are up to sl level(jamie macdonald, trent clayton,luke branigan).

Yeah, and even more than that there's the question of RL-reared juniors. There's an interesting article in the Sunday Times today about London. McDermott says he's gone to several RL festivals "all of whihc have 10 Rl clubs affiliated to London RL club" meaning they're a new generation of RL-reared players.

France doesn't need to go through that slow metamorphosis as the clubs are there in greater numbers than in London.

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Two questions:

When will the RFL make a decision (a specific date)?
What chance is there of both Celtic and Toulouse joining SL?

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

Two questions:

When will the RFL make a decision (a specific date)?
What chance is there of both Celtic and Toulouse joining SL?

Richard Lewis has said a month ago that the decision will be made in late June or early July 2008. (Very late IMO. Les Catalans were admitted more than a full year before their first season kicked off).

There is a good chance of both Celtic and Toulouse being admitted.

Celtic however must make it into National League One at the end of this year to qualify. Watch the outcome of their away game today (Sunday) against second placed Barrow. If they win it they are well placed for an automatic promotion at season's end. If they lose it, then they will have to go through the playoffs and win their playoff matches, to receive the second qualifying promotion to NL1 that way. After that their business plan will become the key factor. They already have a stadium.

Toulouse and Celtic are the best prospects for franchises 13 and 14 in an expanded Super League. Richard Lewis would also like a second London club, but no rich businessman has stepped forward to make that a possibility yet.

 

[flamin]

Apparently regarding Les Cats making the cup final

In nearby Toulouse, a city located to the north-west of Perpignan, the result barely registered and did not feature in their main newspaper, La Depeche Du Midi.

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyle...league/07/07/30/RUGBYL_Catalans_Reaction.html

Is this true?

 

[donkey|rope]

^ this article sort of paints a different picture:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/08/05/sorugl105.xml

 

[T to the T]

I'd say that the odds on both CC and Toulouse being admitted to SL in 2009 are slim. CC have a stadium and have the support of Sky however the infrastructure below the side isn't strong enough IMO yet. 2012 is more realistic.
Toulouse don't have the support of Sky (neither did Les Cats as Murdoch can't flog his boxes over in France) however have a supportive city behind them and good relations with Stade Toulousain. Their Chief Exec, Carlos Zalduendo, is in charge of the local Police force or something to that effect so has alot of influence over there however as of yet, Toulouse itself seems be somewhat of an unknown quantity to RL. They have had good crowds, over 10,000 for France's Test Match against New Zealand in 2005 but it is not the heartland that Perpignan is so would be a bit of a gamble. Stade de Minimes isn't fit for SL so TO would have to use Stade Ernest Wallon.
I believe that Toulouse should be chosen over my Celtic Crusaders as in the short term, RL needs another strong Test Nation. RL in Wales has only recently started to blossom with the implementation of the Summer Conference at the turn on the Millennium and is just steadying itself. Also in the rumour mill round these parts is that a North Wales team may soon enter the National Leagues/Conference in place of a struggling Northern side. So I would hate to see the CC rushed/fast tracked when at the moment, things are building up nicely for RL in Wales. Good things come to those who wait.

In 2009, IMO it'll be 2 out of Toulouse/Hull KR/Widnes and Castleford along with the current line up. Salford will be guaranteed a spot as Manchester is a market with bags of potential along with the new stadium that is being built for Salford.

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Just an interesting tidbit, Toulouse is apparently the fastest growing urban area in the European Union.

 

[bowes]

Also in the rumour mill round these parts is that a North Wales team may soon enter the National Leagues/Conference in place of a struggling Northern side.

The only side in North Wales, the North Wales Coasters, who played in the RLC Cheshire Division have recently folded, and that was a very low division, so not sure what the sense of trying to run one at a higher division is, the only struggling northern side in the NLs is Blackpool, although it doesn't have to be instead of a team to join as there's no fixed number of teams

 

[In-goal]

I also tend to agree that CC are far to early in thier development for the Rugby Super League, I think the 2012 season would be much better for both CC and Welsh RL.

On Tolouse Olympic I am not to sure about thier bussiness plan, however from what I have read through reports in the french news and fan sites it they are well finacialy backed.

The Sky boxes is what will decide the Franchises I feel, they have alot of bearing as to how much money the RFL can earn; Perhaps Sentanta sports can join the tea party and ruffle a few feathers in order to help raise the money and grow the game.

 

[winnyason]

to me it as i have been reading in british forums it will come down to the fact there is more possible tv subscritions through sky in wales, the looking at the good of the sport look nothing against cc but toulouse have possible crowds of 5 to 8 thousand while cc will maybe 3, and the talent 70 odd seniors clubs in france compared to 10 in wales, but hey TV runs this sport NRL perfect example just burn of the players.

 

[In-goal]

to me it as i have been reading in british forums it will come down to the fact there is more possible tv subscritions through sky in wales, the looking at the good of the sport look nothing against cc but toulouse have possible crowds of 5 to 8 thousand while cc will maybe 3, and the talent 70 odd seniors clubs in france compared to 10 in wales, but hey TV runs this sport NRL perfect example just burn of the players.

I truely hope that this won't be the case when the RFL make the descision.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

It's damn sad that TV runs the sport. Just think that the future of league in Europe perhaps hangs in the balance all because of the need to sell little boxes to put on top of Welsh TVs.

Two other things:

You were saying that Toulouse is a risky venture - in comparison to PSG it's as safe as houses. I reckon Toulouse has enough league blood in it to sustain a team. I don't think it will attract the travelling British fans though. They go to Perpinya for the sun - this is often lacking in Toulouse.

If Toulouse and Celtic are both admitted, being both in 09 or not, they had better start thinking about changing the name of the competition. ESL is always going to head in a European direction and many years down the track I'd imagine there will be a team each in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, London + a few northerns, Toulouse, Perpinya, Lyon and possibly a Dutch team or Paris. Something along the lines of the H Cup in XV.

 

[bowes]

There'll never be a Scottish or Dutch side. Somewhere down the line a 3rd French team and an Irish team are a possibility, but not for 10 years at least, and a 2nd London team and a midlands team (and maybe back to the North East) are higher priority in my eyes, though Wales and Toulouse are the priorities for expansion for now

 

[AlbertRosenfeld]

There'll never be a Scottish or Dutch side. Somewhere down the line a 3rd French team and an Irish team are a possibility, but not for 10 years at least, and a 2nd London team and a midlands team (and maybe back to the North East) are higher priority in my eyes, though Wales and Toulouse are the priorities for expansion for now

Wales and Toulouse are the best high profile expansion prospects for now.

But a second London club would be very well received in Red Hall immediately if someone with a genuine interest and a lot of money was able to step forward to back it.

Paris would be after those three in terms of priorities, and its reception would depend on a successful Toulouse. But I think that Paris would definitely be welcome at some point in the near future (2012 or 2015 -- not 2017-2019) if Toulouse is successful, because of Paris's prestige, money, political power and media relevance.