Nigel Wood, the Chair of the RFL Strategic Review, has given his verdict on the future of French clubs in Super League whilst also making an incredible claim about Leigh Leopards.
Wood was appointed to a Strategic Review with the owner of Leigh Leopards, Derek Beaumont, among those key in Wood’s return to the rugby league picture.
Having taken a huge pay-off to leave the RFL, he was brought back into the frame to oversee this Strategic Review and suggestions and reports claim that French clubs involvement in Super League is high on the agenda.
A major argument used against Catalans, or even Toulouse’s, involvement in Super League is that they bring very few fans to away games and therefore English clubs do not benefit from them.
On the other hand, the large English travelling support to Perpignan aids both the town and the city and Wood has now made an extraordinary claim about Leigh Leopards’ recent trip to the south of France, arguing that it was worth £4,000,000 to the local economy.
Do French teams have a future in Super League in Nigel Wood’s opinion?
Appearing on The Bench Podcast with Jenna Brooks and Jon Wilkin, Wood was quizzed on a number of things including French involvement in Super League, of which he was quick to remind listeners of his involvement in that decision.
“I was part of the group that recommended the inclusion of French clubs into the British competition,” he stated before explaining that the three objectives of having a French team in Super League were to strengthen the national team, create revenue and offer supporters a destination to attend.
Expanding, he said: “I would argue that 20 years on only the the last of those three has been achieved.
“The broadcast situation in France is very tricky because rugby union and football have such a stranglehold over that.
“I believe there is a role and there’s room for French clubs in the British pyramid but I think the issue is not whether they’re in, it’s on what terms are in.”
As an example of fans heading out to Perpignan en masse, Wood claimed that 4,000 Leigh Leopards fans headed there for their Round 15 win and he approximated a massive spend.
He explained: “Recently I’m told Leigh took 4,000 supporters down to Catalans probably spending a £1,000 a piece. That’s an economic impact of £4,000,000. How much of that is actually finding its way back into the very club that made that happen at Leigh? That’s the challenge we have to get right.
“I keep getting told well that you shouldn’t build a club on away support and that’s entirely right but at the moment there’s an imbalance because you know full well that the British supporters will go en masse into in France but the reverse doesn’t happen.
“We have to find a way to work to the benefit of both the British game and the French game.”
He would conclude that he is “very confident” of France’s involvement in the Super League going forward, however, his earlier comment about terms being revised could cause further issues for Catalans, who already have to pay for the travel and accommodation of English clubs.
James
July 28, 2025 at 1:09 pm
In my last few weeks as a rugby league supporter I think, after reading this, that Salford’s departure from the game and mine might be a bit over due.
David Bould
July 28, 2025 at 5:01 pm
Stop contributing to French clubs. Start making BRITISH clubs better in every way possible from ground roots up to and including super league. Learn from lower league clubs, SALFORD and previous top clubs suffering. Make all CLUBS STOP OVERSPENDING NOW and not allowed to carry over to next season.
Abet
July 29, 2025 at 9:16 am
monsieur wood je tiens a préciser que le club de Leigh n’ a pas amener 4000 personnes en France mais 1500 de plus il ne viennent en France que le jour du match et le reste du temps ils sont en Espagne donc se n’ ai pas 1000 livres que dépense les supporters en France mais au grand maximum 150 livres a bon entendeur salut
Graham
July 28, 2025 at 6:30 pm
Having listened to this podcast and also the Gary Hetherington interview on the League Express podcast I am not surprised Rugby League struggles to attract investment.
Both men are clearly passionate about the sport and I’m sure are both superb administrators but boy are they hard to listen to, they’re not exactly engaging speakers.
Can’t we find people who can get across the excitement and speed of the game rather than these two who’s every sentence is littered with stutters and repeating the last word.
Anonymous
July 28, 2025 at 10:32 pm
The head of the RFL needs to think of expansion of the game to make England and France stronger and thus also build the international game. Revenue from TV contracts, which has precipitately declined, will grow along with geographical expansion. Revenue from TV contracts and corporate sponsorship are what have made rugby union much wealthier than rugby league. Rugby league doesn’t have the lucrative revenue from a serious international game now because of the short term and insular thinking of the M62 clubs, and their chosen representative Nigel Wood.
Anonymous
July 29, 2025 at 11:21 am
This clown was useless last time …get him out of our game …why our game id dying
Terry Wardle
July 29, 2025 at 1:34 pm
That’s right. Let’s bar Europe based rugby league clubs from English Super League.
Oops though. It’s Super League Europe Ltd. So why not bar fat, failed, dinosaurs from Super League Europe.