Full stadiums, excited fans… The Rugby World Cup has been in full swing since Friday, September 8. And this major sporting event is turning into a financial windfall for organizers, including the French Rugby Federation.
Between 45 and 50 million euros donated to the FFR
And she’s counting on this event to boost her finances. Thanks to the various sponsorship partnerships, the 2.5 million tickets sold, merchandising, television rights and other economic income derived from spectator consumption, the World Cup will directly generate hundreds of millions of euros.
According to a report prepared by the General Inspectorate of Finance and the French Ministry of Sports, 476 million euros of profits will be generated during these seven weeks of competition. Of this sum, the FFR will receive between 45 and 50 million euros, according to Jacques Rivoal, president of the Rugby World Cup organizing committee.
How will this amount be used?
Savings that Florian Grill, president of the French Rugby Federation, wants to use to develop his sport. Firstly, he takes advantage of the publicity carried out by the world championship to attract new fans of the oval ball. A 20% increase in the number of girls and boys licensees is expected at the end of the competition. Therefore, part of the funds will be used to develop infrastructure and training in amateur rugby.
The federation also wants to focus on the development of Rugby 7s, which is an Olympic sport. According to Pierre Rondeau, sports economist: “Rugby 7s is more telegenic and very pleasant to watch for all newbies. Which helps to attract even more new members. Without forgetting that a year before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Federation Rugby wants to do everything possible: “It is possible to offer a medal to France.”
The federation has also committed to donating part of the profits from the World Cup to CSR projects. “Investing in rugby is a social and educational issue,” defends Florian Grill. Among the projects, the federation especially wants to develop women’s rugby by building women’s changing rooms in amateur clubs. Also planned is the construction of adapted infrastructure so that people with reduced mobility can play rugby and support for clubs that practice Health Rugby (playing rugby in the process of cancer remission).
Reduce the economic gap with other sports
In 2007, France was already the organizer of the Rugby World Cup. This world championship in France generated a profit of 168 million euros, of which 24 million were donated to the FFR. Thanks to this endowment, French rugby was able to manage the significant increase in its licensees, with an increase of 13% one month after the end of the competition. Exposure to rugby has also increased significantly since 2007. Television rights have increased fifteen-fold, from €29 million in 2007 to €454 million in 2023.
Today, with its 303,048 members, rugby is the tenth most practiced sport in France. Although it is the second most publicized behind football. According to Florian Grill, this World Cup in France should also serve to promote the practice of this sport to reduce in the long term the immense economic gap that exists between rugby and other sports in our country.
Source: BFM TV
