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 have returned from the English Championship. They accepted an invitation for 2009. This was mainly due to by the clubs European Super League ambitions. Sporting Olympique Avignon have been promoted from LER2 to make up a league of 10 teams.
Read more about Elite One Championship: Media, Teams For 2011/12 Season, Winners
Famous quotes containing the word elite:
“Much of what passes for quality on British television is no more than a reflection of the narrow elite which controls it and has always thought that its tastes were synonymous with quality.”
—Rupert Murdoch (b. 1931)