Paul Barrière was born on 8 June 1920 in Espéraza and died on 29 May 2008 in Biarritz, aged 88. He was president of the Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII from 1947 to 1955. Barrière played

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

for Espéraza in 1936 and Carcassonne. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Barrière joined the French Resistance and operated in

Aude Aude ( ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it " ...

. Whilst in the resistance, he met French leaders of rugby league which had been banned by the collaborationist Vichy government. After the war, Barrière, along with who served as president of the French Rugby League between 1944 and 1947, worked to re-establish rugby league, which had been severely disrupted. Barrière became vice-president of the French Rugby League on 16 September 1944 at the Hotel Regina in

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. He was elected president on 2 July 1947 at a meeting in

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

. Barrière was the driving force behind the agreement to create the International Rugby League Board and to institute a World Cup. When asked for his opinion on moves to name the World Cup trophy after him, Barrière refused the honour. Under Barrière, the French national team undertook its first tour of the southern hemisphere. From 1990 until 2004 Barrière organised the Festival de la Cite in Carcassonne for musical theatre. In 2008, Barrière was posthumously awarded the inaugural RLIF Spirit of Rugby League Award which was created to honour those deemed to have made a significant contribution to the sport during their lifetime. Barrière was survived by his wife, Jeanine, and her daughter, Babette. The Rugby League World Cup trophy was named the Paul Barrière Trophy, starting from the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barriere, Paul 1920 births French rugby league administrators French Resistance members 2008 deaths