Rugby In Japan
Week 2
Top League's history is very short. The first season was 2003-04. That is to say, Top League started only ten years ago. Do you know Super Rugby? Super Rugby is the largest and high level professional rugby league in the south hemisphere. This league started in 1986. At that time, this league was called South Pacific Championship. Premiership, high level professional rugby league too, was established in England in 1987. You may think that Super Rugby and Premiership don't have so long history. Yes, rugby leagues all over the world don't have enough history. "Rugby" was born in 1840's. (The then rugby was very very different now.)
The rugby and the soccer were not differentiated in those days. Then rugby and soccer were called football. Rule of the football were various in many areas. And people wanted to standardize the rule. In 1863, Football Association and 12 clubs in London held a meeting. In the meeting, running with holding a ball and tackling a player of the other team and so on were prohibited. However, some clubs objected to the decision. These clubs made other football. This was the reason that the rugby and the soccer were differentiated. In 1871, they made Rugby Football Union in London. In this way, rugby was established.
You may have a question. Why the rugby professional leagues had not been started for one hundred years? The soccer professional leagues were made in 1910's. But rugby hadn't have professional leagues yet. Indeed, Rugby Football Union had been insisting amateurism. Japanese rugby is based amateurism. That's why Rugby Football Union objected to make the rugby league professional. However, Rugby World Cup made it accept professionalization. Finally, the rugby professinal league was established in England in 1987.
Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) had been insisting amateurism, too. So JRFU hadn't want to make professional league. JRFU was established in 1926. There were only amateur leagues in japan long time.
When Top League was started, there were 12 teams. Now, 16 teams belonging to Top League. There are many match venues all over Japan. Representative match venues are Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium and Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium. These stadiums are rare in Japan as the stadium for rugby game only. JRFU is aiming at making rugby more major sport than ever. And it is making efforts to expand Top League and make people watch rugby games more. I hope that JRFU's efforts paid off and rugby become more popular than ever.
(JRFU official site, Wikipedia)
The rugby and the soccer were not differentiated in those days. Then rugby and soccer were called football. Rule of the football were various in many areas. And people wanted to standardize the rule. In 1863, Football Association and 12 clubs in London held a meeting. In the meeting, running with holding a ball and tackling a player of the other team and so on were prohibited. However, some clubs objected to the decision. These clubs made other football. This was the reason that the rugby and the soccer were differentiated. In 1871, they made Rugby Football Union in London. In this way, rugby was established.
You may have a question. Why the rugby professional leagues had not been started for one hundred years? The soccer professional leagues were made in 1910's. But rugby hadn't have professional leagues yet. Indeed, Rugby Football Union had been insisting amateurism. Japanese rugby is based amateurism. That's why Rugby Football Union objected to make the rugby league professional. However, Rugby World Cup made it accept professionalization. Finally, the rugby professinal league was established in England in 1987.
Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) had been insisting amateurism, too. So JRFU hadn't want to make professional league. JRFU was established in 1926. There were only amateur leagues in japan long time.
When Top League was started, there were 12 teams. Now, 16 teams belonging to Top League. There are many match venues all over Japan. Representative match venues are Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium and Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium. These stadiums are rare in Japan as the stadium for rugby game only. JRFU is aiming at making rugby more major sport than ever. And it is making efforts to expand Top League and make people watch rugby games more. I hope that JRFU's efforts paid off and rugby become more popular than ever.
(JRFU official site, Wikipedia)
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