Top14 Clubs budgets

[DonBilly]

The LNR has published the previsonal budgets of the Top14 sides (in Million â'¬):

Toulouse 23,8
Stade Français 19,2
Clermond 17
Brive 15
Toulon 13,9
Biarritz 13,9
Perpignan 12,7
Bayonne 12,3
Montpellier 12,1
Castres 11,9
Montauban 9,7
Bourgoin 9,5
Dax 7,7
Mont de Marsant 5,1


These budgets cannot be compared directly since some of these sides own their stadiums (Toulouse and Clermont) or take in charge its management. Anyway all of them are growing. The ProD2 budgets are also increasing and the biggest ones Racing or Agen are around 10 M â'¬.

I don't know how this compare with other nations clubs or provinces. I guess the GP sides must not be that far away from these figures.

 

[Prestwick]

Is this how much a club can afford to spend on new players or an overall budget.

Regardless, most of the top clubs can afford to bring in at least one Superstar from anywhere on the planet.

EDIT: Its interesting that you don't hear any big name signings from the likes of Brive and Bayonne, despite their financial clout.

 

[Steve-o]

How much did someone like Dan Carter get bought for so I can look at those numbers with some perspective. If you have prices on some other lower profile players add them too.

 

[DonBilly]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Prestwick @ Sep 1 2008, 10:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Is this how much a club can afford to spend on new players or an overall budget.

Regardless, most of the top clubs can afford to bring in at least one Superstar from anywhere on the planet.

EDIT: Its interesting that you don't hear any big name signings from the likes of Brive and Bayonne, despite their financial clout.[/b]

There are several limits set by the LNR and checked by the DNACG (that's why they have refused to several clubs some recrutements or some players salaries). The first one is on the number of professional players as well as espoirs (young adults still in the academy but allowed to play for the top side of the club) which is as far as I remember respectively 33 and 7. The second one is about the ratio of the budget that can be allocated to salaries of the players and staff, it is 55%. The expenses for the transfers are two folds, the salary and in some cases the compensation to the former club if the players contract with this club is not completed. There's also a certain amount which is given to the clubs that have contributed to the Rugby education of the player. My former club for example some years ago received some money from Top14 and ProD2 sides because a former player was now playing professional Rugby for these sides. The transfer compensation and the amateur Rugby club subsidies are not counted in this 55% limit as far as I know.

The DNACG controls very tightly the finances of the clubs and they can castigate quite heavily if clubs do not comply with the rules, for example Albi was administratively relegated to ProD2 because they had cheated with the accounting books. Some years ago clubs such Colomiers or Grenoble were also relegated.

French clubs are considered rich organizations but they cannot do whatever they want. There's no salary cap but a set of rules that keep the system under control and maintain some fairness.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Steve-o @ Sep 1 2008, 11:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

How much did someone like Dan Carter get bought for so I can look at those numbers with some perspective. If you have prices on some other lower profile players add them too.[/b]

Dan Carter is going to be payed 700 000â'¬ by Perpignan. Sonny Bill is going to be paid 300 000â'¬ per year.

 

[Stillknox]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Prestwick @ Sep 1 2008, 10:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

EDIT: Its interesting that you don't hear any big name signings from the likes of Brive and Bayonne, despite their financial clout.[/b]

Brive: Andy Goode, Alix Popham, Horacio Agulla (Argentina's winger), Arnaud Mela (french international during the last 6 Nations), Gerard Vosloo (I think he's a nobody in the rest of Europe but he has quite a reputation in France)... plus Ben Cohen and Steve Thompson last year.

Bayonne: French international Remy Martin, last year XIII's star Greg Gower and several others not so famous but good solid players

This is not as noisy as Toulon but this is a pretty good recruitement I think. For example after 3 rounds Bayonne is the only undefeated team with Stade Français and Biarritz and they beat Clermont yesterday.