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Our history

The Union Treiziste Catalane (UTC) was created in 2000 by the amalgamation of Catalan XIII and Saint-Estève, the two historical powers of French Rugby League. UTC then won the double, Cup and Championship, in 2005. The following year the club turned professional and joined the Super League at the invitation of the British Rugby Football League, so linking up with the eleven best English clubs.

It was in 2006 that the sporting history of the Catalan Dragons really started, this being the true start of their Rugby League apprenticeship. They couldn't avoid finishing last in the league at the end of this season, but they did have the distinction of a resounding 28-26 victory at Warrington and also won seven matches at home. For several months the Gilbert Brutus Stadium was under reconstruction and home matches were played at Carcassonne, Narbonne, Canet-Plage and at the Aimé Giral Stadium in Perpignan. These games included a famous 38-30 win over Wigan with the Catalan team inspired by their supporters.

The following season was one of gathering momentum, with great encouragement from the team sponsors, local government agencies and supporters. In only one year the number of season ticket holders increased from 2000 to 3500! The partially renovated Gilbert Brutus Stadium was the ideal setting for the 13 home matches and the average attendance increased to more than 8,150 .

In 2007 the team shot to glory, finishing two places higher in the league finishing with six wins out of six and at last qualified for the play-offs. In the process they had ten wins, including one of 29-22 at Bradford and also reached the final of the Carnegie Challenge Cup. Across the channel the Dragons were winners in the quarter-final and the semi-final of the Cup, against Hull FC and Wigan respectively. The “Blood and Gold” then succumbed 8-30 to St Helens in the fabled Wembley Stadium, this in front of 84,241 spectators, a record crowd for a French club in all sports.

The Dragons had an exceptional season in 2008 finishing in third place and qualifying for a place in the end of season play-offs and after having been, for a time, close to overtaking Leeds, the leaders. These excellent results by the club did not escape the notice of IDEC, the new shirt sponsors, or of that giant of special events organisation - GL Events. The crowd continued to grow with and the average attendance at Gilbert Brutus increasing from 5,500 in season 2006 to 8,500 in 2008, with nearly 4,500 season tickets being sold. Being awarded the franchise from 2009 to 2012 was yet another stage on the way to greater fame.

With a reshuffling of the coaching staff, season 2009 was conspicuous for chequered performances by a team with enormous but rarely exploited potential. It was only towards the end of the season that Kevin Walters' men woke up and went chasing the last qualification place against St Helens. After this match the Dragons' season took a very different direction, the players started to play well and once again found the qualities which had made them such a force in previous years. In the last 16 and in the quarter final the Dragons eliminated the clubs from Wakefield and Huddersfield respectively, and this on their own grounds. The Catalans were then only 80 minutes from the final at Old Trafford but on the road to Manchester, they then encountered Leeds, the defending champions and cup holders. At the end of an exceptional match, the “final that should have been” according to the experts, the Dragons succumbed with a score of 27-20, but with the satisfaction of having reached the semi-finals of the Super League championship for the first time in their history. The Dragons also passed the 5000 mark for season ticket sales and acquired two new national sponsors, Yoplait and Sea France, testifying to the continuing rise of the club.

2011 will be remembered as the year when the Catalan Dragons truly arrived on the scene. After a slow start to the season, which could be explained by the many changes in the squad, with the arrival of 10 new players as well as Trent Robinson as coach, the Dragons eventually found their rhythm in April in a crazy week in England where they overcame successively Warrington then Wigan on their own patch. The open, improvising style of play advocated by Trent Robinson paid off, enabling the Dragons to string together some big performances. Other highlights of the season were the opening of the new stand in July and then the relocation of the match against Wigan to Stadium Yves of Manoir in Montpellier. The Dragons had their reward late in the season by booking their place in the Play-Offs and, after a first victory against Hull KR in the Brutus Stadium, they fell to Wigan in the quarter finals. After a remarkable season, during which the club were awarded a new franchise for a period of three years, the Dragons were honoured during the evening of the Man of Steel, receiving the coveted trophy of "Club of the Year" and Trent Robinson that of "Coach of the Year". The, a little time later came the nomination of Scott Dureau and Steve Menzies to the Dream Team 2011.

Catalans Dragons won their frist ever trophy in 2018, beating Warrington in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.