Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
is a
team
A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal.
As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...
sport
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
in Russia. The Russian Association of Rugby League Clubs (ARLK) is the governing body of rugby league in Russia. After the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...
, the
International Rugby League and
European Rugby League
The European Rugby League (ERL) is the umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football across Europe. In the absence of other continental federations, ERL also controls rugby league in North America (including Central Americ ...
banned Russia from all international rugby league competitions.
History
A Soviet delegation attended
Dewsbury's 1973 English Championship win and suggested that exhibition games be held in Eastern Europe to gauge interest.
Rugby league returned in the late 1980s. Early success for Russian rugby league came in the form of one of the
Locomotive Rugby Football Club's junior team of 1987 which was sent to England to compete in a series of matches. Maslov and his friend and President of the Russian Rugby Union, Edgar Taturyan, formed the RRFL.
Russian Rugby Football League
In May 1991,
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
and
Fulham RLFC toured Russia.
Challenge Cup history
Kazan Arrows
Kazan Arrows, sometimes called Strela Kazan, are a rugby league and rugby union club from Kazan, Tatarstan in Russia. They were formed in 1989 and play in the Russian Championship, the top-tier of rugby league in Russia.
Since late 2009 they ha ...
and
Moscow Locomotive in December 2001 became the first Russian teams to feature in the
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league in England, and until 1995 for the whole British Isles. The name Rugby Football League previously also referred to the main league competition run by the organisati ...
Challenge Cup. Since 2001 Russian clubs have travelled to England to take part in the tournament.
Cross roads of 2005
Despite all that happened early in the year, the RRFL went ahead with its annual championship, including the youth world cup, which was thought by many not to go ahead.
2022: ban
After the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...
, the
International Rugby League and
European Rugby League
The European Rugby League (ERL) is the umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football across Europe. In the absence of other continental federations, ERL also controls rugby league in North America (including Central Americ ...
banned Russia from all international rugby league competitions.
Competitions until 2008
Russian Championship
The Russian Championship (or Russian Super League or Championship of Russia) consisted of 6 teams in the 2008 season:
*
Locomotive – Moscow
*
Arrows – Kazan
*Vereya – Moscow Region
*Crystal – Rostov-on-Don
*Kosmos – Moscow Region
*Legion – Kharkiv (Ukraine)
Dinamo Moscow and St Petersburg Nevskaya Zastava started the season but failed to complete it. Saint Petersburg Lesteh and Volgodonsk Navy-Sphere entered the cup but did not participate in any league.
Championship NFRR-13
Premier League
*Star – RVSN (Serpukhov)
*Kubinka (Moscow Region)
*Nizhegorodets (Nizhny Novgorod)
*Arsenal (Tula)
*RHZB (Kostroma)
*CSK Cosmos (Moscow region)
*Avtomobilist (Ryazan)
*Svyazist (Ryazan)
*VDV (Ryazan)
*WU-CVM (Moscow)
*MOSVOKU (Moscow)
*
Vereya Bears (Moscow region)
Major League
Major League teams are divided into groups on a geographical basis
''Central Group''
*Finance (Yaroslavl)
*Voronezh
*Tver
*Iskra (Smolensk)
''Southern Group''
*Stavropol
*Novocherkask
*Rostov on Don
*Armavir
*Krasnodar
''Volga-Ural Group''
*Penza
*Kazan
*Wolski
*Chelyabinsk
*Saratov
''North-West Group''
*VIFK (St. Petersburg)
*Mozhaisky Military Academy (St. Petersburg)
and military institutions of the North-west district
Challenge Cup
Two teams each year took part in the Rugby League
Challenge Cup, along with four teams from France including Les Catalans, although the Challenge Cup is not considered a 'European Cup', more a domestic competition in the UK that invites these teams into the early rounds. However Russian teams have not played in the Challenge Cup since 2009 due to the funding crisis in Russian Rugby League, and their being banned in 2022.
Crisis of 2009 and 2010
Olympic status of Rugby Union Sevens and the expulsion of Rugby League from the State Register of Sports of Russia
By mid-2009 the three major clubs of Russian Rugby League had moved over to Rugby Union as a result of government pressure to achieve results in
rugby union sevens, newly designated as an
Olympic sport
Olympic sports are contested in the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The 2020 Summer Olympics included 33 sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics included seven sports. Each Olympic sport is represented by an international governing ...
. These clubs were
Kazan Arrows
Kazan Arrows, sometimes called Strela Kazan, are a rugby league and rugby union club from Kazan, Tatarstan in Russia. They were formed in 1989 and play in the Russian Championship, the top-tier of rugby league in Russia.
Since late 2009 they ha ...
, Dinamo Moscow and the champions for the past eight years, Lokomotiv Moscow.
[Rugby League World June 2010 pages 62–66]
Russian Ministry of Sports order number 21 dated 20 January 2010 expelled the Rugby League from the State Register of Sports of Russia.
The reasoning for the expulsion was reportedly due to the Ministry's view that Rugby League was not a separate sport from rugby union.
In February a new president of the
RRLF was elected, Alexander Eremin. Eremin, the board members and employees of the RRLF are investigating the potential for the continuation of Rugby League in Russia with various government, civic and sports organizations, in particular the Ministry of Sports and Rugby Union of Russia.
After the turmoil of the RRLF losing clubs and players, Edward Taturian caused a split with the Rugby League Federation, to potentially form an Association of Rugby League Clubs.
The Association of Rugby League Clubs of Russia (ARLKR)
2010 began with no clear framework or competition, within this context the old figurehead Taturyan established the Association of Rugby League Clubs of Russia (ARLKR) seemingly independent of the
RRLF. The following clubs joined the ARLKR association:
#Nevsky Gate
#Vereyskaya Bears
#Threshers
#North Moscow
#Nara
#Otradnoe
#Spartak-Losinka.
(In 1991, Taturian, the former coach of the Soviet Rugby team, split from the Russian rugby union and took over some teams to found the Russian Rugby League. The game grew and became known as the Russian Rugby League Federation.)
Current domestic competition
Rugby league is now played domestically in conferences. North, Central and South. At the conclusion of each conference's fixtures, the top teams enter into the national championship.
Media
Starting in
2009 NTV Plus Sport broadcasts live
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...
matches from the
Super League competition.
[http://www.therfl.co.uk/clientdocs/European%20Federation%20Newsletter%20February%202009.pdf ]
The national team
The Russian Bears represent Russia in
international rugby league tournaments and other rugby league fixtures.
See also
*
Russia national rugby league team
The Russia national rugby league team (also known as The Bears) represent Russia in international rugby league tournaments and other rugby league fixtures. The Bears, played their first fixtures against two British club sides: York Wasps and Ful ...
*
Sport in Russia
The most popular sport in Russia is soccer. According to Yandex search analysis results rating of the most popular sports among Russians: "Football topped the list of the most popular sports in Russia" with 5 to 10 million requests. Ice Hockey ...
References
External links
RRLF Website Includes an up-to-date table
{{Sport in Russia
Sport in Russia by sport