Florian Grill and French rugby won. On the occasion of an interview with theAFPThe president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) announced good news for the finances of the institution a few weeks after having made a very dark assessment of the situation by mentioning in particular a possible “Balance sheet”.
Indeed, while the renegotiation of the diffusion rights of the 6 male but also female nations tournament saw the group France Télévisions preserve the entirety and exclusivity of the competition until 2029 despite the competition coming from TF1The FFR has negotiated a more attractive income sharing compared to that previously in place.
“The share allocated to the Federation will drop from 16% to 17.85% from July 1, 2025, and 19% from July 1, 2026”said Jérémie Lecha, Director General of the Federation. For Florian Grill, “It contributes to the recovery of the federation”presented as “A huge issue” after “Inherited from a federation which had a structural exploitation deficit of around 18 to 20 million euros”.
The FFR should earn “an additional six million euros per year”
There is also talk of a certain rebalancing of the distribution of income from the 6 nations tournament. Indeed, over the past few years, France generated no less than 26% of the total but was to be satisfied with 16% of the funds divided between the federations by the Commercial Company Common, resulting from the partnership with the CVC Capital Partners fund, when England recovered a part amounting to 31%.
According to Jérémie Lecha, that “Represents approximately six million euros per year, without calling into question the solidarity mechanism with other nations”. Faced with also facing losses from the organization of the Rugby World Cup in France in 2023, evaluated at “35 or 36 million euros” By Florian Grill, the FFR should also benefit from more favorable conditions with GL Events, a new dealer of the Stade de France, up to “Five to six million euros in impact”According to the boss of French rugby. Financial conditions which, in the long term, should allow the FFR to find a virtuous trajectory in order to put the accounts in the green.
