The changing structure and culture of english rugby union football

In 1995, the International Rugby Football Board (IRB) declared rugby union an 'open' sport and thus formally legitimized professionalism in what had previously been a 'shamateur' game. Whilst others have examined what this has meant in individual clubs,' our aim here is to attempt a broad examination of the ways in which the game has since changed in response to full professionalism. Our analysis of this modern period is partly an extension of work conducted in the 1970s which dealt with earlier crisis periods in the game. It draws, too, upon work presently being conducted into the socio-historical development of Gloucester RFC, and also upon the results of a survey carried out by the authors during the summer of 1997. This survey, which was initiated after the first season of 'open' rugby, was based on a postal questionnaire (with a response rate of 41%) sent to the head coaches/directors of rugby of the 68 clubs who had formed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd National Divisions and the 4th North and South Divisions of the English Courage League in the 1996/7 season. The purpose of this questionnaire was to ascertain how the game of rugby had changed at the top levels during the preceding 12 months and, more specifically, to examine those changes which had been introduced concomitantly with the advent of 'open' rugby.