One for the treizistes.....Is Carcassone's bid to enter SL2 and SL proper in 5 years genuine? If so what's the thrust behind it, I understand they may have a sugar daddy.Wondering if the town as small as Carcassone can maintain a pro team. For this to work they should be linking up with Lezignan & Limoux and take in the whole region.In saying that I'd like to see Avignon in there first.

Carcassonne (or anybody else) can apply to join Championship 1. Then, if they are good enough, they could be in Super League 1 two years later.

Jean???

He thought it was a bona fide announcement & spat his bottle of Blonde all over his laptop, rendering it useless.

Nobody who knows the situation in France would be promoting Carcassonne ahead of Toulouse. As of now Toulouse has been through all the RFL tests (stadium, business plan, junior development) and Carcassonne has not. Toulouse is a much bigger city than Carcassonne and has a bigger potential pool of players and spectators. Toulouse also has the stadium facilities planned and Carcassonne has not. Plus Toulouse is further away from Perpignan which is important for junior development.

Avignon is behind Toulouse on most criteria (except stadium ready now) though even that will change. Avignon being in the southeast, and having a weak football team, plus a 17,500 capacity stadium, plus a track record of attracting good crowds to RL internationals, represents the next best choice after Toulouse.

Carcassonne residents will be very blessed if they have professional rugby league teams in Perpignan and Toulouse since each of their home games will likely be on alternate weekends and each be accessible by train or car in an hour (Toulouse) or an hour and a half (Perpignan).

In the more distant future a team from Carcassonne might make sense, but Toulouse and Avignon should come first.

Keighley (or anybody else) can apply to join Elite Championship 2. Then, if they are good enough, they could be in Super League 1 two years later.

We know.



But why pick on Keighley.

Because getting a small town in west yorkshire to play in a 3rd tier french RL competition would be as idiotic as getting a small town in southern france to play in a 3rd tier British RL competition.

Where he is it's more likely to be Coors Light or Budweiser.

Dead right, small towns like big citys dont play RL, RL Clubs/Teams play RL

great post, really added to the debate. A useful and clearly absolutely necessary clarification. Everyone thought we were thinking there would be 150'000 people playing in a game until you made sure we all understood RL clubs play RL.















Great work.

WOOSH