Amateurism and the Rise of Managerialism: The Case of Rugby Union, 1871-1995.

This article explores the complex relationship between English rugby union and coaching since the formation of the Rugby Football Union in 1871. Using archival sources, handbooks, manuals and a wide range of other sources, it traces the evolution of attitudes to coaching, from open opposition to the concept for most of the game's history through to its unashamed embrace of managerialism in the 1990s. It argues that the changes in these attitudes were driven in large part by the changing nature and values of the English public-school- and university-educated middle classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]