No. If I was then it'd make it look like I'd learned nothing from all my years, decades even, of watching the game.

Vichy Government as well, time heals though.

Sorry. Wrong twice, John.

Nantes has featured rugby league through the years, as well as Paris - both north of Lyon by quite a margin.

As for interest, rugby league has always been politically isolated by union in France. Why would it be different in the centre of power that is the capital?

Paris has also had rugby league teams over an extended period since the 1930s. Pre- the Vichy escapades of union, Paris was well represented in rugby league.

To this we will eventually return, if the public can again see the game as it did in the 1930s...viewing our product is integral.

In a nutshell, hence Paris.

In the past, yes, but not for many years. Clubs have come and gone with alarming regularity, PSG being just the last in a long, long line.
You could have pulled me up regarding Corbeil though - they're talking a good game.

More news about the proposed Stade Francais stuff in the local papers. Too tired to go through it right now - 'appen later - but it's [url=http://www.lindependant.com/articles/2009-11-09/laporte-le-stade-francais-a-bien-un-projet-super-league-74483.phphere[/url if you want a look. I'm slightly disquieted it about it.

I'm confused, they talk about SL in 2012, which can only happen in one of a few ways:
* Steal all the good Catalan players (and possibly lead to converting some to union)
* Run a SL side off a union academy side, or union castoffs
* Take all the good players from TO and take their place in SL.

I don't see this as a good idea. Now, 2012 for Paris to find a Championship side, backed by SF. That would be a different proposition entirely (though maybe 2012 for a Paris LER side, 2015 for a Championship and 2018 for SL would be more realistic).

On the other hand, this was interesting

So a "French" U20s side playing in the SL reserves comp, would this be in place of or in addition to the Catalans?

Isn't the best way for this type of project to go to establish a revamped, and rebadged - franchise based - French Elite League?

That way clubs like TO can develop without the costs associated with travel to the championship.

Perhaps 10 teams in quality stadia, possibly to incude Stade Francais?

No relegation to enable the building of infrastructure, and no "second teams." Rather than have UTC seen as a Catalans Dragons reserve, relocate them to a nearby city/large town with their own identity?

To add to the comp 4 groups of 5 with QFs, SF and a European Trophy Final between the French Elite and the Championship Sides?

Im totally pro French RL and ultimately would love to see the Dragons, TO and Stade in SL but serious work must go into the FFRXIII competition to underpin this and guarantee the future for French clubs and their players. Ideally French players need somewhere to go to make a living as a player at a club other than the Dragons.

I know the contributors on this thread are highly knowledgeable on French RL so apologies if the thoughts I have have been made before

Ps - no point putting this on the VT or you get some numpty tell you that Flatcap Rovers should come before foreigners because they've played the game for 3000 years!

I know you lot on here dont think that way!

Not sure what changes you are suggesting other than rebranding the Elite league? A full-time French league has to be the plan once there are enough teams, but that is a long way off.

The LER struggles to maintain 10 clubs, none of which are SL standard. If we could parachute a SF Paris side into the LER it would get us 10 clubs, ranging in ability from poor Championship 1 to average Championship side. TO showed us that even good LER sides cannot compete to Championship standard.

A French Super League is a great idea, but one that would require a number of French teams being at the right level, i.e. some top LER sides, some sides in the Championship and some from SL. If we got to that stage the decision would have to be whether Catalans want to move to a lowe rleague for a few years or stay in the top flight. Obviously 5 years down the line the French league might catch up with the British one...

If you wanted a French "Super" league you currently have possibly 4 clubs that could be in it, and that would be tenuous. While it can be discussed possibly it's 20-50 years away so too much could happen in the mean-time.

A franchise based league like super league rather than a promotion/relegation based one with salary caps and minimum standards I really mean

The LER is essentially a franchise system. They just lack enough sides that want/can sign up at that level

Instead, so I reckon

Is there a TV deal in place for the LER?

Hope you guys understand im not going with the line of sending french clubs back to a french league, just developing a solid french league from which clubs like a "Stade" could emerge and progress to Super League.

How do you think the weaker clubs could improve to level things out? Salary cap? Finance? Management?

Just if the RFL is serious about supporting the FFR XIII these are the relevant questions I suppose?

Which four are you thinking of?

No. Sport+ did take the Championship and Cup finals. Can't remember if Orange Sport even covered those last season

Two years ago I know that Sport + showed the Lord Derby matches and all the Catalan home/away matches.

4 Super Clubs in france ould be Catalans, TOXIII, hypothetical Paris, and an Aude Club. I did say tenuous.

Based in Carcassonne?

TENUOUS, who knows where it would be based. Prolly want something based about FCL and maybe Pia for a catalan derby, but if they entered a Super League as is you would expect them to be the minnows of the group.

Typically the answer for French rugby league already exists in their glorious past.

The model for the game in about the period 1945-55 should be given detailed and careful consideration by the French rugby league hierarchy.

Basically, this involves a structure along the lines of the following:

1. A Championship Top Division of about 12-14 clubs (played for the Max Rousie Shield).

2. A French Club Competition involving the broader rugby league club community in France, thus allowing the growth and encouragement of newer clubs (played for the Lord Derby Cup).

This is what French rugby league needs to get back to, first and foremost.

The ability to use the ESL as a further platform to publicise the game is all a bit of a modern bonus for French rugby league, which should be ADDED to the strength of the original base.

As for teams in the Championship, I don't know how I can be clearer about how unequivocal it is that it again be based around what I describe as the HAND of French rugby league's traditional strength, the five big cities over which rugby league has previously had influence: namely, and in no particular order - Paris, Mille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Toulouse.

This was the case in the period 1945-55. And should be now as well.

Added to this would be the passionate [irugby de villages[/i of Carcassonne, Perpignan, Albi, Avignon, Villeneuve and probably Lezignan, Cavaillon and Carpentras.

A return to the Cote Basque would also be in order, possibly through Pau or a Cote Basque XIII.

At this time (circa 1945-55), the French rugby league was also benefiting from regular matches in other major centres such as Nantes (as referred to in an earlier post), Grenoble and Limoges - as examples only.

The passionate underlying strength of the amateur game must be similarly invigorated. At its strongest this allowed clubs like Arcachon and especially Cahors and Lavardac to compete with the professional outfits.

All of this combined to the betterment of French rugby league to produce one of the great international sides in history in the same period (1945-55)...

Does anybody reckon that, assuming Toulouse are pretty sure for 2012 that this french u20 team could serve both clubs?

So thats why its not the Catalans or Toulouse.....Or Stade Francais for that matter.

I hate to say it but the LER can be a tough watch sometimes, it must be a hard sell to get it on TV

Regret to say that the above item is total 'balls' and an insult the that great rugby league player L'hussaine M'barki [ex Fulham/Warrington/Oldham/Hull/LondonCrusaders who founded MARLA and is still it's President & principal funder!! The least co-operative nation towards the development of our great game in the Maroc has been the French ....... cancelling tours at last moment etc etc.

As for the players using kit supplied by the RFL to play the Ra Ra game that is totally untrue anjd as someone closely connected with the Maroc game I ask you where you got hold of this particular libel........and suggest you e-mail me your a copy of your source or the name of the the writer or informent.

I did not read your warning before putting a topic on the [url=http://viewtopic.php?f=2&t=440051VT[/url. The discussion went very well actually! Opinions may be changing

Opinions aren't changing , they were never as bad as has been made out , ultimatley all most fans want is successful expansion , not badly thought out underfunded wasteful non expansion

OK, good to know. Worries are understandable after the failures of PSG and Crusaders. Though SF is in another category IMO. I would not say the same thing if it was just a Paris RL club mounting a bid. It is backed by the SF club. That is the best scenario that could happen in Paris and France for the development of RL, and for the SL to get a Paris team in again. Now I am not saying it will be a success for sure, we can never be sure of anything. But I'd be happy to bet my money on it.