Clubs vs DUSSH

Vocabulary


Clubs – grassroots sports schools, founded by coaches, skaters and/or parents.

DUSSH – (or CYSS, from Russian) Child-Youth Sport Schools – soviet state schools that use outdated abusive approaches to coaching.

What’s the difference?

✅ Clubs

❌ DUSSH

✅ Society
Can be founded by anyone (coaches, skaters, parents, etc).
❌ State
Founded by municipal government officials.
✅ Self-fovernance
Responsible for setting their mission, goals and approaches.
❌ Rightlessness
Forced to function based on outdated soviet plans and methods of work.
✅ Effectiveness
Economically self-sufficient, market economy growth oriented. Can be supported by state or municipal government, but do not rely on it 100%.
❌ Dependent on subsidies
Fully dependent on public funding. Don't know how become economically efficient.
✅ Selection
Ineffective clubs getting out of the market due to the evolutionary selection. Effective ones thrive.
❌ Corruption
Continue to exist despide decades of ineffectiveness, scandals and rampant corruption.
✅ Client oriented
Education and programs revolve around its member's needs. Every club member matters.
❌ Abuse
Child abuse is normalized – humiliation, all forms of emotional and physical abuse are commonplace.
✅ Development
Attract people in figure skating and make them fall in love with it.
❌ Destroying
Turn away thousands of Ukrainian kids from figure skating and sports every year.

History

There are two sport governance models in the world – European club system and Soviet communist system.

Club system is based on the grassroots clubs, where sport belongs to free society and is build from the bottom-up – people voluntarily unite into clubs, clubs – into federations, and mutually benefitial relationships with governments are made to foster sport development. In communist system sport belongs to the government, focuses on political ambitions of its leaders, governed and financed fully by the government.

Even after 30 years of its independence, Ukraine still governs sport using outdated communist laws and views on sport, which do not work for democratic society and market economy.

Hence, Ukraine currently have to parrallel systems – palliative DUSSH and emerging unofficial clubs.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are clubs for profit?

No. Clubs can be for profit, but most clubs in the world are non-profit organizations.

It’s perfectly fine for non-profits to have commercial activity, but all profit goes into the club development. Non-profit clubs serve purposes of its members, for-profit – only its directors.

2. Does government support clubs?

Not yet. Ukrainian government still support only communist state school system, but already see its ineffectiveness.

Transition to the European club model is the main subject of upcoming sport reform. Stay tuned.