Serious things will begin on the European rugby front. The next weekend (April 6 and 7) will see the last eight teams still in the race to compete in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup. Three French (Clermont, Toulon and Montpellier), three English (Saracens, Harlequins, Leicester) and two Irish (Ulster and Munster). At stake is a ticket to the final four. And the hope of succeeding, on May 18, Leinster on the prize list of a competition created in 1996.
Beyond the sporting prestige, the first of the European rugby competitions proves to be a formidable means for the most successful clubs to fill their coffers. According to the bi-weekly Olympic noon, the Heineken Cup constitutes an often decisive financial windfall. The proof in numbers.
Tickets. The group stage alone can bring in up to 2 million euros in additional revenue, for just three matches played at home. By relocating its match against Saracens to the Beaujoire stadium in Nantes, Racing-Métro made a gain of around €500. In the final phase, the distribution of profits turns out to be even more advantageous. The receiving club can receive 000% of the ticket revenue if it relocates to a larger venue. A quarter-final can therefore be profitable, depending on Olympic noon, a good million euros.
Television. Without reaching the scores of the VI Nations Tournament, the Heineken Cup is proving to be a very attractive television product. A Franco-English meeting often attracts 2 to 3 million viewers in front of France Télévisions, co-broadcaster of the competition with Canal +. By putting the various contracts together, the ERC (European Rugby Cup) collects around 40 million euros in broadcast rights.
Spin off. Like football, rugby could no longer do without European meetings. By virtue of a principle of distribution of revenues very favorable to French and English clubs, the National Rugby Line (LNR) receives a jackpot of around 12 million euros thanks to this competition. For a team at the top of the table, a successful run in the Heineken Cup is synonymous with an increasing budget. A bonus that everyone estimates at several million euros. And yet, ironically, the Evin law relating to advertising on alcohol and tobacco prohibits, in France, the name of the first economic partner of the event, the Dutch brewer Heineken. Its contribution to the Heineken Cup budget amounts to 40 million euros annually for the period 2010-2014.
