Alice's Phallus wrote:
Toulouse need to join the Championship to show that they have the junior development and crowd support development on the way up (the former they already do quite impressively) and to start to bring their name to the broader French public via TV coverage (which they will now have via Orange).
Toulouse need relegation exempton because they are a development club.
Because of the current financial crisis Toulouse are in no position to get any more external sponsors, which is why they need an RFL subsidy. Hopefully by 2011, when their application for Super League is being processed, the economic crisis will be over and they can get major sponsor support from the Toulouse business and industrial community. These potential sponsors dwarf anything that the English clubs can tap into. If Toulouse succeed in the Championship, and can get the big local sponsors on board for their Super League application in 2011, then they will be a much more powerful force in the Super League than the obscure English clubs, and also in developing the game's support base in France -- which is in the interests of the game.
Many international corporations sell more of their products in Toulouse than in Widnes, Halifax, Leigh and Whitehaven combined, and hence are more interested in sponsoring a competition that has Toulouse in the roster than in one that has the English heartland mini clubs in its place.
The other English clubs can each add little to the spectator support base of the game as a whole, nor to the specific and financially valuable international game (which means dollars for the game through the RFL TV contracts, and through better crowd attendance at internationals).
So they are in the 4th biggest city in france [ bigger than any british RL playing city except Quins ] but they dont draw large support
And most of the people in that city and France have not heard of them
And yet they are a ' development ' club
So because of the ' credit crunch ' they cannot get sponsors but might do in 3 years because they are playing Widnes/Batley and Halifax
You admit it is all about getting them in
SL to benifit the international game
You also point out that it is all about bringing new bigger sponsors to
SL
So basically it is all about getting them up to speed and to increase thier profile and sponsorship potential in readiness for entry into
SL
They are struggling to get decent sponsorship at the moment because of the financial situation but this obviously doesn't affect british clubs and spending a small fortune on travel and accomodation is a good idea
So once again what exactly will any british clubs Leigh/Fev or Rochdale/Keighley get out of thier inclusion ?
One last question , how long have they been playing proffessional RL in Toulouse to make them a development club ?