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Servette FC from Geneva have started a professional rugby wing. The multi-sport club, which also runs professional football and ice hockey teams, has entered a team playing out of Servette FC’s 30,000 seater stadium in the 10th tier of French rugby.
They have the express intent of progressing through to the Top 14 in the next decade. For an organisation with such ambition it may come across as odd to be happy to start so low down in the French structures.
However, when you take into the account where rugby in Switzerland is coming from and the risk involved in the quest to progress toward the top of the French rugby pyramid, taking the time to build a solid foundation while working their way up the ladder toward the Top 14 or even the Pro D2 makes good business sense.
It also provides a template for other groups looking to expand into the game or clubs with the backing from within the existing European rugby landscape to transition into professional rugby.
I can already here the cries of “What about French rugby?” but when you consider the growing numbers of foreign talent entering the French system, unless there is a real effort from within to limit those numbers (I know there have been quotas set but the clubs have managed to circumvent them) the Top 14 has already evolved well past a purely domestic competition. This would be the next evolution.
So, which teams may look to emulate Servette FC? Well, some are more obvious than others.
For some time a number of the big Spanish sporting clubs (Real Madrid and Barcelona) have toyed with the prospect of professional rugby wings. The Servette FC route offers them that pathway.
Another is German club Heidelberger RK. Backed by a wealthy investor who also backs the national team, Heidelberg are the premier rugby club in Germany. Heidelberg itself is the heartland of rugby in the country, with the majority of the national team based in the town. They would offer the best chance.
When you consider that Servette FC is coming out of Switzerland, a nation ranked significantly lower than Germany, it isn’t that unreasonable.
Others may arise that no one has even considered yet.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.