A holiday treat for Rugby League followers

Photo shows Catalan Dragons at their play-off match against Wigan Warriors

We have several friends who are involved in the tourist industry in one way or another. A few have holiday properties and this week David was intrigued to learn from two friends that they had received booking enquiries from Yorkshire from people who wanted to stay so they could watch the Catalans Dragons Rugby League team.

(As a note, the Catalans Dragons - occasionally referred to as the Dragons or Les Catalans, are based in Perpignan in what is essentially northern Catalonia. They play in both the European Super League and the French Rugby League Championship. In 2007 the Dragons became the first French side and first non-English side to reach the final of the Challenge Cup, playing St Helens at Wembley Stadium before a record crowd - for a French team, of over 84,000.)

Of course David was intrigued as once upon a time he was a keen Rugby League fan, following Castleford, his favourite team. He soon learned that Hull FC Rugby League team are playing against the Dragons, not at the Dragon's home ground in Perpignan, but much closer to us (we live in Montblanc) at the Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers.

The Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers

This is not the first time the Dragons have played a 'home game' at a different venue to their home ground. Last year they played Warrington Wolves in the Olympic Stadium in the Catalan capital, Barcelona, Spain.

I did tell you in the last two postings that in this part of the south of France there is a strong association with all things Catalan / Spanish, particularly the closer you get to the frontier with Spain, and of course, Perpignan, around one hour away from us, is so close to the frontier.

A poster for the game - the city of Béziers is advertising the game widely

I write this posting because David asked me to, not just for the Rugby league match, which he says is very important for many people in the UK, particularly where rugby league is played and enjoyed, but also because the match takes place during the most important week in Béziers calendar - on Saturday August 15. This is the Féria week, a mix of all things French and Catalan, a must see when taking holidays in this area, and an event that attracts between 700,000 to 900,000 visitors. I will write more on this in my next post.