Elite 1 (rugby league)

Elite 1

Founded	2002; 22 years ago (2002)
Country	France
Number of teams	9
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Elite 2
Domestic cup(s)	Lord Derby Cup
Current champions	XIII de Limouxin (2022-2023)
Most championships	AS Carcassonne (12)
TV partners	viàOccitanie, Sport en France
Website	site
Current: Elite One Championship 2023–2024

Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions worldwide. The clubs play each other home and away then they enter into a play-off series culminating with a Grand Final. The competition is the continuation and first division of the French Rugby League Championship, which has been in existence since 1934.^[1]

The league is generally regarded as the third most important domestic championship in the world, behind Australia's National Rugby League and the United Kingdom's Super League, and ahead of the NZRL National Competition, PNGNRL, Balkan Super League and Rhino Cup.^{[citation needed]}

History

The French Rugby League Championship began in 1934, the first one being the only one where it was won by the team finishing top of the table on points and not by a play-off series.

The Elite One Championship was founded in 2002 after the French Rugby League Championship was split into two divisions. The format stayed the same with teams playing each other home and away, before a play-off series would determine the Champions. The club finishing bottom would not be automatically relegated, it would be dependent on whether the club finishing top of Elite Two Championship either wanted to be promoted or their facilities were up to standard.

Teams for 2022–23 season

Saint-Esteve XIII Catalan

Teams currently Participating in the Elite One

Elite 1
Team	Stadium	Location
Albi Tigers	Stade Mazicou	Albi, Tarn
SO Avignon	Parc des Sports (Avignon)	Avignon, Vaucluse
AS Carcassonne	Stade Albert Domec	Carcassonne, Aude
FC Lézignan	Stade du Moulin	Lézignan-Corbières, Aude
Limoux Grizzlies	Stade de l'Aiguille	Limoux, Aude
Baroudeurs de Pia XIII	Stade Daniel-Ambert	Pia, Pyrénées-Orientales
Saint-Estève Catalan	Stade Municipal	Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales
Saint-Gaudens Bears	Stade Jules Ribet	Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne
Toulouse Olympique Broncos	Stade des Minimes	Toulouse, Haute-Garonne
Villeneuve Leopards	Stade Max Rousie	Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Lot-et-Garonne

Results

Year	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue	Attendance
2002–03	Villeneuve Leopards	31 – 18	Saint-Gaudens Bears	Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne	8,000
2003–04	Saint-Gaudens Bears	14 – 10	Union Treiziste Catalane	Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan	7,500
2004–05	Union Treiziste Catalane	66 – 16	Toulouse Olympique XIII	Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne	5,000
2005–06	Baroudeurs de Pia XIII	21 – 18	Toulouse Olympique XIII	Stade des Minimes, Toulouse	5,462
2006–07	Baroudeurs de Pia XIII	20 – 16	FC Lézignan	Stade Michel-Bendichou, Colomiers	7,882
2007–08	FC Lézignan	26 – 16	Baroudeurs de Pia XIII	Stade de la Mediterranee, Béziers	9,550
2008–09	FC Lézignan	40 – 32	Limoux Grizzlies	Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne	11,263
2009–10	FC Lézignan	32 – 22	Baroudeurs de Pia XIII	Altrad Stadium, Montpellier	6,612
2010–11	FC Lézignan	17 – 12	Limoux Grizzlies	Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne	11,874
2011–12	AS Carcassonne	26 – 20	Baroudeurs de Pia XIII	Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne	8,980
2012–13	Baroudeurs de Pia XIII	33 – 26	Saint-Estève Catalan	Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan	6,732
2013–14	Toulouse Olympique XIII	38 – 12	FC Lézignan	Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan	7,245
2014–15	Toulouse Olympique XIII	20 – 12	AS Carcassonne	Stade Michel-Bendichou, Colomiers	5,800
2015–16	Limoux Grizzlies	26 – 24	AS Carcassonne	Stadium municipal d'Albi, Albi	5,420
2016–17	Limoux Grizzlies	24 – 22	FC Lézignan	Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne	8,270
2017–18	Sporting Olympique Avignon	30 – 28	Limoux Grizzlies	Stadium municipal d’Albi, Albi	5,000
2018–19	Saint-Estève Catalan	32 – 24	AS Carcassonne	Stadium municipal d’Albi, Albi	1,500
2019–20	Competition abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France^[2]
2020–21	FC Lézignan	16 – 12	AS Carcassonne	Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse	3,200
2021–22	AS Carcassonne	20 – 16	Limoux Grizzlies	Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne	8,231
2022–23	Limoux Grizzlies	34 – 24	AS Carcassonne	Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne	8,221

Source: ^[1]

Winners

#	Club	No.	Year(s)
1	Lézignan Sangliers	4	2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2020–21
2	Pia XIII	3	2005–06, 2006–07, 2012–13
3	Villeneuve Leopards	2	2002, 2002–03
	Toulouse Olympique		2013–14, 2014–15
	AS Carcassonne		2011–12, 2021-22
	Limoux Grizzlies		2015–16, 2016–17
6	SO Avignon	1	2017–18
	Saint-Gaudens Bears		2003–04
	Union Treiziste Catalane		2004–05
	Saint-Esteve XIII Catalan		2018–19

Media coverage

Television

Unlike, for instance, the BBC, France Television didn't offer any program to the French public about Rugby League.

Sport en France cover the Championship across their television platforms nationwide.^[3] Coverage includes the match of the week and one match from each week of the playoffs including the Grand Final.

From 2020, some Elite 1 games are televised by a local channel ViàOccitanie; this is a free-to-air channel in the South of France but they are also available on the internet and via the triple play internet devices. Therefore, they offer, indirectly, free nationwide coverage of the domestic championship.^[4]

Presently, French clubs have to fund the broadcast of their own games or to televise their own matches themselves via the social networks or YouTube.

Radio

Radio Marseillette, a local Southern radio, has rugby league debate and news every Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00. They also have commentary on some Elite League games.

Press

The French national mainstream media barely follow the game. Very occasionally, some articles about the sport are published in newspapers such as Le Monde, Le Figaro or the national Sport newspaper L'Équipe.

Nevertheless, there is undoubtedly a French specificity: the Weekly Rugby Union magazine Midi Olympique has a one-page section devoted to Rugby League. However, only two local newspapers genuinely cover the game; L'Indépendant ( based in the South of France) and la Dépêche du Midi (based in the South west of the country).

The British Rugby League press cover this championship; for example magazines like Rugby Leaguer & League Express offer a weekly report of the games. In Australia, the monthly publication Rugby League Review offer a few columns about the games as well.

References

^ ^a ^b "Championnat Elite 1". Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII (in French). Retrieved 3 November 2022.
^ "Coronavirus : la Fédération française met fin aux compétitions de rugby à XIII cette saison". lequipe.fr. Groupe Amaury. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^ "Elite 1 - Finale hommes". Sport en France (in French). Retrieved 3 November 2022.
^ "Rugby à XIII". viaoccitanie.tv. Retrieved 3 November 2022.

External links

Google map showing location of Elite 1 sides
French rugby league federation
Infostreize Archived 21 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
Le monde du rugby à XIII

v t e Elite 1 Stadiums
Stadium Municipal d'Albi Stade Saint Ruf Stade Albert Domec Stade du Moulin Stade de l'Aiguille Stade Georges Vaills Stade Municipal Stade Jules Ribet Stade des Minimes Stade Max Rousie