Rugby Union in The Soviet Union - Popularity

Popularity

Although such tournaments as the Soviet Cup and the Soviet Championship existed, rugby never reached its full potential in the USSR. Of the two Rugby codes, Rugby union was the more popular; Rugby league only attracting fans and athletes after the collapse of Communism.

Victor and Jennifer Louis wrote in 1980 that:

"It seemed in the early 1960s that rugby was burgeoning throughout the Soviet Union, but today it is clear that the game is played above all by students and mostly in Moscow."

Chris Thau identified two major problems hindering the spread rugby in the late Soviet Union:

"Many players start playing late in life, either after failing to establish themselves in an Olympic discipline, or after entering a University, a Polytechnic, or a Military Academy where the game is already well established."

However, by 1989 Rugby was well-established across the Eastern bloc. Since the dissolution of the USSR, Rugby has become particularly popular in Georgia, where it is the de facto national sport.

After the Second World War, there was competition with the west and not just in sport. From the late 1950s-early 1970s, there was a reduction in Soviet people's work time, which caused an increase in their leisure time. Sport was seen as:

"one of the best and most comprehensive ways and means of explaining to people throughout the world the advantages of the socialist system over capitalism."

With this in mind, participation in sport was strongly encouraged from the grass roots level upwards.

In 1926, 18% of the Soviet population lived in towns, but by 1978, this had risen to 63% (164 million) Each new planned town included a sports centre.

The 1930s saw the

"flourishing of all manner of competitive sports with spectator appeal, of leagues, of cups, championships, popularity-polls and cults of sporting heroes. All were designed to provide recreation and diversion for the fast growing urban populace."

The Soviet government spent 12,600 million rubles on sport and health each year in the 1970s and 1980s, which was approximately 0.03% of the state budget.

Rather like their Olympic counterparts, Soviet rugby players had a fair degree of shamateurism. Both the Olympics and rugby union were officially amateur, but this was not really the case. For example, the Dinamo clubs were sponsored and financed by the KGB, but no one could say that openly that some athletes were full-time shamateurs, and received bonuses for winning including dollars. Masters of Sport were full time, and paid by their sports society. They received 180 rubles each year, plus 30-40 rubles if they were capped for the USSR team paid for by the USSR sports committee. There were frequently unofficial bonuses, and some people could be Masters of Sport for life, meaning that they would receive pay long after their retirement.