Operating losses of around 13 million euros for the FFR

During the General Assembly of the FFR this Saturday in Lille, the provisional budget for the 2023-24 season was approved, at 79.59%. It will break even despite a particularly high deficit.

“There are operating losses of around 13 million euros and an exceptional result linked to the sale of CVC (the investment fund) which is also around 13 million, indicated the President Florian Grill. Indeed, we have a zero budget. We will work on it. Work has already been done by the previous governance on partnerships which has been good, we will try to amplify the situation. »

“Furthermore, the dimension of sponsorship is very important for a Federation with missions, I really want to reach out to all the partners of France 2023 to try to get them to become partners and/or patrons of the French Rugby Federation, continued the new boss of the Federation. Contacts are already encouraging from this point of view. We will also have to be smart managers. I do not question at all the fact of having put the package on the World Cup, it is just incredible to have such an event in France. »

More money for regional leagues and departmental committees

The World Cup isn’t the only event in sight for Grill. “We must also prepare for the preparation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. There will certainly be trade-offs to be made afterwards, they will be all the more important as I want to free up three million euros more for the regional leagues and the departmental committees which need additional resources to develop rugby from the base. , said the president.

At the end of 2023, this budget will be re-examined by the new governance which obviously intends to impose its paw on the choices to come. “We are in the process of building a project over eight to ten years,” added Grill, who wants rugby, the second most popular sport in France but only in tenth position in terms of licensees (324,326 in May 2023), develops even further.