sold-out rugby stadiums, is there a World Cup effect?

End of the 9th day of Top 14 on Sunday with Stade Français hosting Stade Toulousain. The Jean-Bouin stadium will be full for the first time this season.

The stands of the Jean-Bouin stadium, in Paris, will be filled on Sunday November 3 at 9 p.m., for the conclusion of the 9th day of Top 14. The 19,500 spectators are expected for the return of this Classico, the big poster of the 2000s , the Stade Français which hosts the Stade Toulousain. A beautiful old-world atmosphere, to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Parisian club.

Among the spectators, long-time fans, but also newcomers or people who are turning to rugby again, seduced by a sport that they rediscovered during the World Cup. “We already see more rugby on TV, it’s really a very enjoyable sport and today, with my wife, we enjoy watching it!”says a spectator. “I think there’s a craze, and it’s great”adds his wife.

Build the loyalty of this new audience in the stadiums

This new enthusiasm for rugby is concretely reflected in the latest attendance figures for Top 14 stadiums. After already a record year in 2022, progression continues, underlines René Bouscatel, the president of the National Rugby League: “We could fear a decline with a saturation effect, due to the exposure of the World Cup which leads to a small decline initially. And on the contrary, we are at +3% compared to the same period of the ‘last year.”

“Last weekend, 8th day of Top14, we broke records with more than 16,000 spectators, with at least three full stadiums! We are on the right track.”

René Bouscatel, president of the National Rugby League

at franceinfo

Talking about a World Cup effect – even if the stadiums are more crowded since the end of the competition – is a little too early, adds René Bouscatel. The progression is continuous, and it is above all a question of succeeding in retaining the loyalty of this new audience, explains Thomas Lombard, the general director of Stade Français. “New audiences are interested in rugby, that’s obvious! There is work that we need to do internally, on our displays and our communication. We are bringing people into the stadium, but we have a turnaround -over considerable”he elaborates. “In hospitality, we have on average two visits per year for a client. The idea is to have four. And to follow my thoughts to the end, I think that if we had been world champions, we would have had a greater effect!”

Next step to also be carried out in the long term, according to the president of the League for French rugby: investing in larger rugby stadiums, as Stade Rochelais has done this season, and as the Stade plans Toulouse, to of course meet growing demand.