UA Gaillac
Encyclopedia
Union Athlétique Gaillac is a French
rugby union
club currently competing in the Fédérale 3
league, the third level of the French amateur league system, after having been forcibly relegated from the second level
of the French professional league
due to serious financial problems. The club, founded in 1901, is based in the small town of Gaillac
, in southwestern France, in the département of Tarn, some 70 km northeast of Toulouse
. They play their home games at Stade Laborie-Bernard Laporte, which was inaugurated in 1909. Their current coach is Alain Gaillard.
In 1948, the club associated with the local train workers and became Union Athlétique des Cheminots (Railwaymen) de Gaillac. In 1950, the club reverted to its former name.
Gaillac was always in the lower divisions of the southwest rugby leagues until it managed to reach the lowest level of the national championship in 1968. It was relegated a few years after and had to wait until 2001 to join the highest level of amateur rugby called Fédérale 1. In 2006, finally, Gaillac reached the second professional division, Rugby Pro D2
, after winning the Fédérale 1
title.
Gaillac finished in 10th place in their first season in Pro D2, but ran into serious financial difficulties, and proposed a merger with the nearby Graulhet club. The merger fell through, and after the end of the 2006-07 season
, the French sporting authorities forcibly relegated Gaillac to Fédérale 1
. The club was then placed into bankruptcy in July 2007, leading to a further drop to Fédérale 3.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club currently competing in the Fédérale 3
Fédérale 3
Fédérale 3 is the fifth division of rugby union in France. The competition involves 226 clubs in 21 pools of 8, and winners can progress up into higher division of competition. The competition above Fédérale 3 is Fédérale 2 and above that, Fédérale 1...
league, the third level of the French amateur league system, after having been forcibly relegated from the second level
Rugby Pro D2
Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second level of domestic club rugby union in France, below the first division, Top 14. The competition was introduced in 2000. There is relegation and promotion between both the Top 14 and Fédérale 1, the third-level competition...
of the French professional league
Ligue Nationale de Rugby
The Top 14 is a rugby union club competition which is played in France. The Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism of LNR. There is promotion and relegation between the Top 14 and the next level down, the...
due to serious financial problems. The club, founded in 1901, is based in the small town of Gaillac
Gaillac
Gaillac is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-Geography of Gaillac:Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Monatauban. It has gained a large amount of recognition due to the wines that bear the towns name. The Tarn river runs along the border of the town by the...
, in southwestern France, in the département of Tarn, some 70 km northeast of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. They play their home games at Stade Laborie-Bernard Laporte, which was inaugurated in 1909. Their current coach is Alain Gaillard.
History
The club was founded as Stade Gaillacois and was only the third rugby union club in Tarn. In 1905, it became Stade Athlétique Gaillacois and in 1910 Union Sportive Gaillacoise. In 1940, the French rugby federation cancelled the championship and the club was forced out of business, but a new club was founded, Union Athlétique Gaillacoise, with rugby, football, boxing, tennis, athletics, swimming and volleyball sections.In 1948, the club associated with the local train workers and became Union Athlétique des Cheminots (Railwaymen) de Gaillac. In 1950, the club reverted to its former name.
Gaillac was always in the lower divisions of the southwest rugby leagues until it managed to reach the lowest level of the national championship in 1968. It was relegated a few years after and had to wait until 2001 to join the highest level of amateur rugby called Fédérale 1. In 2006, finally, Gaillac reached the second professional division, Rugby Pro D2
Rugby Pro D2
Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second level of domestic club rugby union in France, below the first division, Top 14. The competition was introduced in 2000. There is relegation and promotion between both the Top 14 and Fédérale 1, the third-level competition...
, after winning the Fédérale 1
Fédérale 1
Le championnat de France de première division fédérale, a.k.a. Fédérale 1, is a French rugby union club competition, the highest level of amateur rugby. The competition has been organised by the Fédération Française de Rugby since 2000, when it replaced the B2 Group...
title.
Gaillac finished in 10th place in their first season in Pro D2, but ran into serious financial difficulties, and proposed a merger with the nearby Graulhet club. The merger fell through, and after the end of the 2006-07 season
2006-07 Rugby Pro D2 season
The 2006-07 Rugby Pro D2 is a French rugby union club competition. The season runs alongside the 2006-07 Top 14 competition, which is the highest club competition. At the end of the season, Auch were champions and thus automatically promoted to Top 14. They were eventually followed by Dax who beat...
, the French sporting authorities forcibly relegated Gaillac to Fédérale 1
Fédérale 1
Le championnat de France de première division fédérale, a.k.a. Fédérale 1, is a French rugby union club competition, the highest level of amateur rugby. The competition has been organised by the Fédération Française de Rugby since 2000, when it replaced the B2 Group...
. The club was then placed into bankruptcy in July 2007, leading to a further drop to Fédérale 3.
Famous players
- Bernard LaporteBernard LaporteBernard Laporte is a rugby union coach and former French Secretary of State for Sport. He is currently the head coach at Toulon, having taken over in 2011 from Philippe Saint-André, who had been named the new head coach of the France national team. Laporte himself is a former head coach of France,...
- Gaillac’s most famous player was the former France coach Bernard Laporte, who played for them in the youth categories until he was 20 and left for Bègles-Bordeaux in 1984. The club’s stadium was given his name a few years ago.