The seventieth congress of the Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII took place on 1 June at the club Omnisports des Girondins de Bordeaux in Mérignac. The federation confirmed the number of member clubs, leagues and committees and conducted a series of workshops run by the commissions of the governing body: rules, the Elite championship, the National and Federale divisions, youth, women’s, wheelchair, medical, training and communication.

One of the changes for the new 2013-14 season will be the introduction of the bonus point in Elite 1 and 2, for teams that lose by a margin of 12-points or less. The federation will also introduce an increasing scale licence fee for foreign players, to encourage clubs to field more locally trained players.

President Carlos Zalduendo was frank in his assessment of the importance of the year ahead: “The 2013-14 season is a pivotal one for rugby league. Above all we need successful world cup matches in Avignon on 1 November and the 11 November in Perpignan.”