Elite One Championship
Encyclopedia
The Elite One Championship (French: Le Championnat de France Elite) is the top tier French
professional
domestic rugby league
competition.
The French Rugby League Championship
began in 1934 but the current name and format were adopted in 2002 when the first game commenced in April.
Since then the league has strengthened both on and off the pitch with members of the French national team playing in the league and growing attendances - some derby matches now get crowds of 3,000. Recently the league has grown internationally too with players from Morocco, Serbia, Russia and Algeria. The season usually runs from October to May so that fans can also attend Catalans Dragons
matches. Racing Club Albi have withdrew from the 2008/9 season following financial problems. Toulouse Olympique now play in the English Championship, having accepted an invitation in 2009; promted mainly by the clubs European Super League ambitions. Sporting Olympique Avignon have been promoted from LER2 to make up a league of 10 teams.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
domestic rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
competition.
The French Rugby League Championship
French rugby league championship
The French rugby league championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties....
began in 1934 but the current name and format were adopted in 2002 when the first game commenced in April.
Since then the league has strengthened both on and off the pitch with members of the French national team playing in the league and growing attendances - some derby matches now get crowds of 3,000. Recently the league has grown internationally too with players from Morocco, Serbia, Russia and Algeria. The season usually runs from October to May so that fans can also attend Catalans Dragons
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom...
matches. Racing Club Albi have withdrew from the 2008/9 season following financial problems. Toulouse Olympique now play in the English Championship, having accepted an invitation in 2009; promted mainly by the clubs European Super League ambitions. Sporting Olympique Avignon have been promoted from LER2 to make up a league of 10 teams.
Media
Selected games from the Elite Championship are broadcast live on Orange TV and summaries of each match Elite 1 are available to subscribers.Teams for 2011/12 Season
| Elite One Championship | ||||
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| Team | Stadium | City/Area | ||
| Avignon Bisons | Stade Saint Ruf | Avignon Avignon Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the... , Vaucluse Vaucluse The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes... , Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur |
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| AS Carcassonne AS Carcassonne AS Carcassonne are a professional rugby league football club based in Carcassonne in the south of France. They play in the French rugby league championship and are one of the most successful clubs in French rugby league, having won a total of ten French Championship titles and eleven Lord Derby Cups... |
Stade Albert-Domec | Carcassonne Carcassonne Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,... , Aude Aude Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother... , Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is... |
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| Racing Club Lescure-Arthès XIII Racing Club Lescure-Arthès XIII Racing Club Lescure-Arthès XIII are a French Rugby League club based in Lescure-d'Albigeois, Tarn in the Midi-Pyrénées region. The club plays in the French Elite One Championship, having been promoted from Elite Two in 2011.-Current Squad:... |
Stade Jean Vidal | Lescure Lescure Lescure is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.-Population:... , Ariège Ariège Ariège is a department in southwestern France named after the Ariège River.- History :Ariège is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the counties of Foix and Couserans.... , Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity... |
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| FC Lezignan | Stade du Moulin | Lézignan-Corbières Lézignan-Corbières Lézignan-Corbières is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Situated in the Corbières wine region not far from Narbonne, it has a Vine and Wine Museum .-Geography:... , Aude Aude Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother... , Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is... |
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| Limoux Grizzlies Limoux Grizzlies Limoux Grizzlies are a French rugby league club from the town of Limoux in the département of Aude. They play in the Elite One Championship.-History:The Limoux club was founded in 1951. The club won its first and thus far only French Championship in 1968... |
Stade de l'Aiguille | Limoux Limoux Limoux is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France... , Aude Aude Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother... , Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is... |
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| Montpellier Red Devils Montpellier Red Devils Montpellier Red Devils are a rugby league club from Montpellier, France. They currently play in the Elite One Championship... |
Stade Sabathe Stade Sabathé Stade Sabathé is a multi-use stadium in Montpellier, France. It is currently used mostly for rugby union and rugby league matches and is the home stadium of Montpellier Red Devils. Until 2007 it was the home stadium of Montpellier RC. The stadium is able to hold 6,500 people.... |
Montpellier Montpellier -Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council.... , Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is... |
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| Pia Donkeys | Stade Daniel Ambert | Pia Pia, Pyrénées-Orientales Pia is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:* -External links:*... , Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :... , Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is... |
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| Saint-Gaudens Bears | Stade Jules Ribet | Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The... , Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity... |
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| Toulouse Olympique Toulouse Olympique Toulouse Olympique are a French professional rugby league team from Toulouse, in the southwest of France. They were founded on 22 October, in 1937 two years after the founding of the French Rugby League Federation. Between 1995 and 2002 the club were known as Spacers de Toulouse, due to links with... |
Stade de la Roseraie | Toulouse Toulouse Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea... , Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The... , Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity... |
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| Union Treiziste Catalane | Stade Gilbert Brutus Stade Gilbert Brutus Stade Gilbert Brutus is a rugby league stadium located in Perpignan, in the south of France. Even though the stadium currently has around 9,000 seats installed, it can accommodate around 1,000 fans more due to standing room... |
Perpignan Perpignan -Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the... , Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :... , Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is... |
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| Villeneuve Leopards | Stade de la Myre Mory | Villeneuve-sur-Lot Villeneuve-sur-Lot Villeneuve-sur-Lot is a town and commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France. The commune was formerly named Villeneuve-d'Agen.... , Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers.-History:Lot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790... , Aquitaine Aquitaine Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes... |
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Winners
| Year | Winners | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
| 2002 | Villeneuve Leopards | 17 - 0 | UTC | Béziers |
| 2002-2003 | Villeneuve Leopards | 34 - 18 | Saint-Gaudens Bears | Béziers |
| 2003-2004 | Saint-Gaudens Bears | 14 - 10 | UTC | Béziers |
| 2004-2005 | UTC | 66 - 16 | Toulouse Olympique Toulouse Olympique Toulouse Olympique are a French professional rugby league team from Toulouse, in the southwest of France. They were founded on 22 October, in 1937 two years after the founding of the French Rugby League Federation. Between 1995 and 2002 the club were known as Spacers de Toulouse, due to links with... | Toulouse |
| 2005-2006 | Pia Donkeys | 21 - 18 | Toulouse Olympique Toulouse Olympique Toulouse Olympique are a French professional rugby league team from Toulouse, in the southwest of France. They were founded on 22 October, in 1937 two years after the founding of the French Rugby League Federation. Between 1995 and 2002 the club were known as Spacers de Toulouse, due to links with... | Toulouse |
| 2006-2007 Elite One Championship IV This article details the fourth year of the Elite One Championship, the top-level rugby league French Championship. The season commenced on 6 October 2006. Like last season, there were 11 teams with one team missing a round each week... | Pia Donkeys | 20 - 16 | Lezignan Sangliers Lézignan Sangliers Football Club de Lézignan are a professional rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the départment of Aude in the south of France... | Colomiers |
| 2007-2008 Elite One Championship V Elite One Championship V is the official name for the 2007/2008 Elite One Championship season in the sport of rugby league.The season commenced on 6 October 2007. Like last season, there are 11 teams with one team missing a round each week... | Lézignan Sangliers Lézignan Sangliers Football Club de Lézignan are a professional rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the départment of Aude in the south of France... | 26-16 | Pia Donkeys | Béziers |
| 2008-2009 Elite One Championship VI Final table of the French Championship of rugby league for the 2008-2009 season.- Table :-External links:*... | Lézignan Sangliers Lézignan Sangliers Football Club de Lézignan are a professional rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the départment of Aude in the south of France... | 40-32 | Limoux Grizzlies Limoux Grizzlies Limoux Grizzlies are a French rugby league club from the town of Limoux in the département of Aude. They play in the Elite One Championship.-History:The Limoux club was founded in 1951. The club won its first and thus far only French Championship in 1968... | Carcassonne |
| 2009-2010 Elite One Championship V Elite One Championship V is the official name for the 2007/2008 Elite One Championship season in the sport of rugby league.The season commenced on 6 October 2007. Like last season, there are 11 teams with one team missing a round each week... | Lézignan Sangliers Lézignan Sangliers Football Club de Lézignan are a professional rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the départment of Aude in the south of France... | 33-22 | Pia Donkeys | Montpellier |
| 2010-2011 | Lézignan Sangliers Lézignan Sangliers Football Club de Lézignan are a professional rugby league football club based in Lézignan-Corbières in the départment of Aude in the south of France... | 17-12 | Limoux Grizzlies Limoux Grizzlies Limoux Grizzlies are a French rugby league club from the town of Limoux in the département of Aude. They play in the Elite One Championship.-History:The Limoux club was founded in 1951. The club won its first and thus far only French Championship in 1968... | Narbonne |
See also
- Elite One Championship VElite One Championship VElite One Championship V is the official name for the 2007/2008 Elite One Championship season in the sport of rugby league.The season commenced on 6 October 2007. Like last season, there are 11 teams with one team missing a round each week...
(current season) - Elite Two ChampionshipElite Two ChampionshipThe Elite Two Championship is the second tier semi-professional rugby league competition in France below the Elite One Championship, but above the National Division East and West....
- French Rugby League ChampionshipFrench rugby league championshipThe French rugby league championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties....
- French rugby league systemFrench rugby league systemThe major national club competition in France is the Elite one championship, below this is the Elite two championship and a number of regional leagues. The teams in each competition will change each year depending on final standings and relegation / promotion....
- Fédération Française de Rugby à XIIIFédération Française de Rugby à XIIIThe French Rugby League Federation is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in France. The Federation was formed during 1934 and since then has organized and governed the French rugby league championship, the Lord Derby Cup and all of the clubs that are contained within those...
- Lord Derby CupLord Derby CupThe Lord Derby Cup , also known as French Rugby à XIII Cup, is the premier knock-out competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. It is open to all French rugby league clubs....
- Rugby league in FranceRugby league in FranceRugby league has been played in France since 1934. As with rugby union, the heartland of the game is the south of the country.During the Second World War, in association with the French rugby union, the sport was banned by the Vichy government, an act which the sport has struggled to recover from...