Elite One Championship
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.
History
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 once before a play off series would determine the Champions.
Clubs
| Elite One Championship |
| Team |
Stadium |
City/Area |
| Racing Club Albi XIII |
Stade Municipal de Albi |
Albi, Tarn, Midi-Pyrénées |
|
| SO Avignon |
Stade Saint Ruf |
Avignon, Vaucluse |
|
| AS Carcassonne |
Stade Albert Domec |
Carcassonne, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon |
|
| FC Lezignan |
Stade du Moulin |
Lézignan-Corbières, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon |
|
| Limoux Grizzlies |
Stade de l'Aiguille |
Limoux, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon |
|
| Palau Broncos |
Stade Georges Vaills |
Palau-del-Vidre, Pyrénées-Orientales, Languedoc-Roussillon |
|
| St. Esteve Catalan XIII |
Stade Gilbert Brutus |
Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales, Languedoc-Roussillon |
|
| Toulouse Olympique |
Stade des Minimes |
Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrénées |
|
| Villeneuve Leopards |
Stade Max Rousie |
Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Lot-et-Garonne |
[1]
Results
for winners since 1934.
Winners
Media
Selected games from the Elite Championship are broadcast live on Orange TV and summaries of each match Elite 1 are available to subscribers.
See also
References
External links
France
League 1 (Via application to RFL)