Bernard Guasch
Born (1960-04-03) 3 April 1960
France
TitleChairman of the Catalans Dragons

Bernard Guasch (born 3 April 1960)[1][2] is a French former rugby league player, who played as stand-off and the current CEO of the Super League and French Rugby League Championship team, the Catalans Dragons[3] and has been since their formation in 2001.

Biography

Guasch's grandfather, José Guasch, was a Catalan politician, mayor of L'Espluga de Francolí during the Spanish Second Republic and, after fleeing to Northern Catalonia due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he was taken prisoner to the Argelers concentration camp.[4] His parents and siblings also moved as refugees to join their grandfather. José became a rugby union player for USA Perpignan, notably disputing the final of the 1951-52 French Rugby Union Championship. Wanting to open a butchery, he asked a loan for USAP, however, the latter refused and XIII Catalan supported his initiative if he played rugby league, which was what he did.[4][5] He speaks Catalan fluently.[4]

Playing career

Guasch played as stand-off for XIII Catalan between 1977 and 1982 and for Saint-Estève XIII between 1982 and 1989. His brother, Bruno Guasch, played for XIII Catalan, and his son Joan Guasch played for Dragons Catalans and Saint-Estève XIII Catalan.

The Catalans Dragons project

The rugby league dirigents requested Guasch for his "leadership skills".[6] In 2000, two great French clubs, XIII Catalan and Saint-Estève, merge to form Union Treiziste Catalane, which dominated the French Rugby League Championship, later the club became Catalans Dragons before its integration in Super League, becoming in 2006 the only French elite team in the Northern Hemisphere. It was a sports success as the club arrived to the 2007 Challenge Cup final and qualified in the 2008 Super League play-offs, as well an economic success as the club culminated with more than 8.000 spectators at home, which convinced GL Events to invest into the club by taking shares and Nike became the kit supplier in 2009.[7]

Creation of a moral agreement with USA Perpignan?

Since the late 2010s, it was attributed to him the wish to "create a moral agreement with USA Perpignan, done like on the other side of the Channel[8]". However, the rugby union club did not seem to answer concretely to this will.

References

  1. ↑ "Bernard Guasch - Dirigeant de la société Perpignan Saint Esteve Mediterranee - BFMBusiness.com". dirigeants.bfmtv.com. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  2. ↑ "M. Bernard Guasch, Gérant de Societe Civile Immobiliere de la Basse sur Dirigeant.com". dirigeant.societe.com. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  3. ↑ Catalans Dragons
  4. 1 2 3 "Bernard Guasch: "Si l'equip es deia Dragons Catalans, l'himne havia de ser 'Els segadors'"". VilaWeb (in Catalan). Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  5. ↑ "Les Dragons portent la flamme du XIII - Rugby". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  6. ↑ "Les 50 qui font bouger Perpignan". LExpress.fr (in French). 2002-12-12. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  7. ↑ "Dragons catalans. Bernard Guash, Monsieur Plus". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  8. ↑ Mouret, Aimé (2011). Le Who's who du rugby à XIII. Impr. Jouve). Toulouse: Éd. de l'Ixcéa. ISBN 978-2-84918-118-8. OCLC 779739872.


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