Paris (AFP)

The Top 14 will resume on September 4 with the first day of the 2020-2021 season. But a looming threat: maintaining the partial tonnage (5,000 spectators), which would quickly jeopardize the financial health of the clubs.

"If we have to play behind closed doors tomorrow, our club has a life expectancy of 40 days," warned Didier Lacroix, president of Stade Toulouse, reigning French champion. And the 5,000 spectator gauge, currently in force, would only offer a brief reprieve.

The business model of the Top 14 and Pro D2 professional clubs is in fact built on "match day" revenues: partnership and ticketing revenues thus represent on average 60% of the clubs' budget.

The cumulative operating deficit of the thirty clubs amounts to 43 million euros for the 2018-2019 season and the forecast deficit for the 2019-2020 financial year, before the outbreak of the health crisis, is evaluated by the National League (LNR) at 54 million euros.

"The camera or the partial gauge, it cuts us from almost all of our income. We will keep TV rights but it does not weigh that much in the budget. The dry ticketing losses, the inability to exploit our reception areas, our dressing rooms ... all this will have a very heavy financial impact ", recently explained Thomas Lombard, director general of the French stadium, in an interview with AFP.

As for the LNR, which has been asking for details since June, we can't imagine a recovery, either behind closed doors or partial gauge.

The clubs could have an answer, at least partial, at the end of the meeting of the Defense council, planned for next week and which could announce a widening of the gauge.

- Extended half-time -

The viability of professional rugby clubs, whose economy is mainly based on the marketing of ticketing and hospitality products (VIP packages) during the off-season, depends on it, we still believe in the League.

To help clubs cope with the crisis, the LNR has established a recovery protocol, which contains health recommendations for all players in a Top 14 match (players, spectators but also external stakeholders, volunteers, service providers, etc.). .).

Barrier gestures must therefore be applied permanently, everywhere and by everyone, and the wearing of a mask is compulsory for people over 11 years old.

A similar protocol implemented in football stadiums, especially during the friendly match of PSG (9-0) in Le Havre on July 12.

But not only. The NRL also plans to extend the duration of the half-time, brought to 20 minutes instead of 15. This corresponds to a triple health, economic and practical issue and allows to better manage the queues while avoiding the Crowds near the points of sale.

While waiting for this defense council, certain clubs have taken the lead. Racing 92 has thus submitted a file to the prefects of Hauts-de-Seine and Ile-de-France and the Ministry of Sports to detail the measures envisaged for the reopening of the Arena, its closed enclosure. Support for spectators as soon as they exit the metro, different access corridors, wearing of a mandatory mask, possible temperature control, air renewal ... are some of the measures mentioned.

On average, each professional club brings together more than 330 partners each season, half of which are VSEs and SMEs. With less than three years to go to a World Cup at home, French rugby is still looking for ways to survive.

© 2020 AFP