YORK and Toulouse can open new frontiers and bring new money into rugby league after being selected as Super League’s teams 13 and 14.
An independent panel yesterday unanimously promoted the Championship’s top two to an extended top flight after third-placed Bradford made it under strategic partner IMG’s grading scheme.
The big city clubs, which stand on the doorsteps of the 13-a-side’s heartlands in Yorkshire and the south of France but will only receive half of central distribution, saw off London Broncos.
And Tony Sutton, chief executive of the Rugby Football League, hopes having different areas to tap into could result in fresh money for the sport.
He said: “It was incumbent on all applicants to show they could bring increased commercial income.
“Part of the assurance behind a paper forecast is seeing what actual actions are going on behind it.
“Toulouse have done a lot of this already and they didn’t say, ‘We’re going to jump from here to here.’
“Depth of progress shone through, particularly at York but at Toulouse. For the last couple of years, York has looked and felt like a Super League club.
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“14 clubs is a good number in competition structure terms and having the panel didn’t undermine the grading scheme.
“But we review it every year – it needs to be evolution rather than revolution.”
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For a sport not known for making sensible choices, bringing the Championship’s top three up to replace stricken Salford – who did not bother applying – is a moment of clarity.
London Broncos’ millionaire owner Grant Wechsel told SunSport as the club missed out: “There will need to be some adjustments to our operational settings, but broadly nothing will change.
“We are working towards building a sustainable and best-in-class club, and we will do so regardless.
“This is reflected in our three-year committed head coaching appointment with Jason Demetriou and Director of Rugby, Mike Eccles.”
Toulouse, who were in Super League in 2022, believe their elevation can open new commercial opportunities, not least a French TV deal worthy of the name.
They, like compatriots Catalans Dragons, must meet English clubs’ travel costs, although half the distribution in Super League is substantially more than a full slice in the Championship..
But director of sport Cedric Garcia, who admitted they may make ‘three or four additions’ to their squad, believes now is the time to push – even if it means playing in Paris, like their compatriots will against Wigan in June.
He also called on fixture planners to help, saying: “We need to sell a story, with maybe one game every round on French soil.
“We need to really sell a story to have a chance to succeed.
“The French market, especially in terms of sports TV rights, is very complicated and if we want to have a chance to succeed, we need to go together.
“Work has been done to make sure we’re all on the same page. If Catalans go on their own, then Super League, it won’t work.
“And playing in Paris, why not? It’s a fantastic initiative by Catalans. Everything is open and even if there is competition on the field, we want to keep working closely with the Catalans.
“The French market is a big opportunity for Super League and needs to deliver. We know it’s one of the goals set by Super League and we need to, at one point, deliver.”
