This week’s general meeting of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) revealed that overall attendances for 2008/9 rose by 12%, with more than 3,500,000 people watching Top 14 and ProD2 games last season.

The average attendances for Top 14 games was more than 12,000, with ProD2’s running at 4,660. One of the reason’s given for the rise in Top 14 crowds was Toulon’s presence following promotion, a fact borne out by their lofty position of third in the attendance table – behind Stade Francais and Stade Toulousain, but above champions Perpignan.

Toulon’s Stade Felix Mayol (capacity 17,000) in effect gave the Top 14 an extra 5,000 spectators per home game as they replaced demoted FC Auch Gers (capacity 12,000). The fact they also took their ‘home’ match against Stade Toulousain to Marseille’s football ground – the Stade Velodrome – for a 57,000 sell-out was an added bonus.

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That helped the Varois club to a highly respected third in the overall attendance table with 206,631 spectators during the season. Stade Francais were predictably top with 326,077, with their total boosted by having three ‘home’ matches held at the Stade de France. Those three games alone – against Perpignan, Stade Toulousain and Clermont Auvergne - brought in 237,746 spectators, or 75% of their season’s tally.

Stade Toulousain were second in the table with 277,839 spectators, a number swelled by holding several of their ‘home’ matches at the 32,000 capacity Stade Municipal, while Clermont were fourth with 190,622.

Champions Perpignan only managed sixth in the rankings with 166,629, a number restricted by the Stade Aime Giral’s limited capacity of 13,000. Talks remain ongoing about moving one or more of next season’s games to Barcelona, although nothing has been confirmed as yet.

The only two clubs which saw average attendances drop were Brive (somewhat inexplicably) and Montauban (more understandably). Brive’s Stade Amédée Domenech has a current capacity of 15,000, although plans are advanced for a state-of-the-art stadium that could seat up to 25,000 people.

The good news for the LNR and Top 14 is that last season’s record numbers are almost certain to be usurped during the upcoming campaign, with more clubs outsourcing ‘home’ matches to larger stadiums. The financial benefits to the individual clubs is obvious, hence Stade Francais confirming plans for five of their matches to be hosted at the Stade de France in 2009/10. That alone could bring in nearly 400,000 spectators, with Bayonne getting a party invite this season alongside traditional crowd-pullers Stade Toulousain, Perpignan, Biarritz and Clermont Auvergne.

Plans are also advanced for their current home ground – Stade Jean Bouin, capacity 12,000 – to be knocked down and replaced with a new all-seater stadium.

They have also been granted permission by the LNR to play one of their matches (yet to be announced) in Brussels, Belgium, while even Bourgoin have expressed a hope to play a ‘home’ in Geneva, Switzerland.

In addition Toulon’s ‘home’ match against newly-promoted Racing-Metro 92 has been switched to the Stade Velodrome in week two (August 22) with early signs pointing to another financial windfall as tickets were snapped up this week.

Biarritz, meanwhile, have been granted permission to play their Basque derby with Bayonne in northern Spain on September 12, with the game due to take place at San Sebastien’s Estadio Anoeta. It also seems likely that the return match will be hosted at the same venue as the two Basque clubs seek to capitalise financially.

The Estadio Anoeta is traditionally the home ground for Spanish football team Real Sociedad and has a capacity of 32,076, considerably more than either Biarritz’s Parcs des Sports Aguilera (capacity 12,667) or Bayonne’s Stade Jean Dauger (capacity 12,000).

Biarritz hope to play several matches in San Sebastien this season – describing it as their new ‘second home’ - but full details have yet to be released.

Stade Toulousain plan to play four matches at the Stade Municipal (capacity 32,000) this season – rather than the Stade Ernest Wallon (capacity 19.500) – while Toulon hope to add a second match at the Stade Velodrome.

All this compares even more favourably when set aside attendances in French football, with Ligue 1 – the country’s premier league – reporting its lowest set of crowd figures since 2003.