Toulouse Olympique
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| Full name | Toulouse Olympique XIII | ||
| Website | website | ||
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| Founded | 1937 | ||
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| CEO | Cedric Garcia | ||
| Coach | Sylvain Houles | ||
| Competition | Championship 1 | ||
| 2016 | 1st (Promoted) | ||
 Current season
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Toulouse Olympique are a professional rugby league club based in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne in the south-west of France. They were founded on 22 October 1937, two years after the founding of the French Rugby League Federation. Six-time winners of the French Rugby League Championship, in the mid-2000s Toulouse expressed a desire to join fellow French club Catalans Dragons in the Super League competition. After being denied a Super League licence for the 2009 season, the club played in the Rugby Football League's Championship competition in 2009 and 2010, however they returned to the Elite One Championship in 2011 after the spell was considered unsuccessful. In 2016 Toulouse once again joined the RFL system, this time in League 1, the third tier of English rugby league.
Toulouse hosted the first ever French rugby league Lord Derby Cup Final in 1935 when Lyon Villeurbanne beat XIII Catalan at the Stade des Minimes. The first rugby league club in the city were Gallia de Toulouse who started the 1935 season but lasted only two matches before dropping down to the amateur level of the newly introduced sport. Toulouse Olympique were formed in 1937 by Jean Galia and played their first league match on 24 October 1937 losing 14-44 at home against RC Albi at their new home the Arnaune Stadium now called the Stade des Minimes. The club finished 8th in that debut season under coach Jean Galia. In their second season, 38/39 they reached the cup final losing 3-7 against XIII Catalan and finished 5th in the league. The clubs last match before the war was against Villefranche de Lauragais winning 62-5. During the war years, like other rugby league clubs in France, the club were forced to play rugby union following the ban on rugby league by the Vichy regime in France. In 1944, Toulouse reached the Semi-Final of the French Cup in rugby union. In the meantime the Arnauné stadium was confiscated by the State, like most of the assets of the French Federation of rugby league. Following liberation by the Allies and the restoration of the French Championship, the club were on the losing side twice when they met Carcassonne in the finals for the 1944-45 and 1945-46 competitions. After two decades away from the top, another strong team emerged that included Pierre Lacaze and under coach Georges Aillères having finished runner-up in the league in 63/64, they then lifted their first league title the following season beating US Villeneuve in the final 47-15. During the 1960s they also reached four cup finals but lost them all, 1962 against RC Roanne XIII 10-16, 1963 against AS Carcassonne 0-5, 1964 against US Villeneuve 2-10 and 1968 against AS Carcassonne 2-9. During the early 70s they lifted two more league titles, in season 72/73 they beat Marseille XIII 18-0 and in 74/75 they beat AS Saint Esteve 10-9. Their 1976 cup final defeat to XIII Catalan 8-23 would be their last final appearance in either league or cup until the new millennium. Before that in 1995 the club changed their name to Toulouse Spacers due to their link up with the local aerospace company in the town, keeping this name until 2002. In 2000 the club ended their long silverware draught when they won the championship title with victory over AS Saint Esteve 20-18 and the following season reached the final again but lost out 20-32 against Villeneuve Leopards. Toulouse's ambition to join the European Super League grew but in 2003, despite a stadium upgrade, youth development and becoming a limited company, their application was rejected by the Rugby Football League in favour of Catalans Dragons. After reverting back to Toulouse Olympique the club reached two more league championship finals but lost both. In 2004/05 they were convincingly beaten by Union Treiziste Catalane 16-66 and the following season they lost again this time 18-21 against Pia XIII. In 2005 Olympique became the first French club ever to reach the semi-finals of the Rugby League Challenge Cup, when they defeated European Super League side Widnes 40-24. They went on to lose 56-18 to world champions Leeds in the semi-final at the Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield.
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