History
Rugby was first brought to the region by the British military around the mid-20th century. In addition, some Arabian royals and nobles have been sending their sons to English private schools for years, where they have picked up the game.
The sport was promoted by Commonwealth expatriates working in the oil industry, and they continue to dominate the game. For example, the ARGFU website continues to be in English only. However, the Emirs, greatly interested by the phenomenon, provided grounds and financial support. Also buoyed by the success of the Hong Kong Sevens, Dubai Sevens were set up., which is one of the premier rugby sevens tournaments, and for a number of years a team has been sent from the Persian Gulf to the Hong Kong Sevens. Although rugby still continues to be dominated by expatriate clubs, the Dubai Sevens has encouraged the setting up of a number of Arab teams.
The Bahrain Rugby Football Union, Doha Rugby Football Centre (Qatar) and Kuwait Rugby Football Union all come under the AGRFU banner, but will become independent of it in the near future.
Read more about this topic: Rugby Union In Qatar
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