The FINANCIAL — Television contracts with national broadcasters and cable networks; sales of jerseys, hats, t-shirts, and jackets; advertising sales to global corporations – these are all things that fatten the bottom lines of professional sports, but not in Georgia.
The FINANCIAL — Television contracts with national broadcasters and cable networks; sales of jerseys, hats, t-shirts, and jackets; advertising sales to global corporations – these are all things that fatten the bottom lines of professional sports, but not in Georgia.
Georgian football, basketball and rugby players do manage to earn their daily bread although the average wage of Georgian sportsmen is ten times lower than that of their counterparts in Europe.
“The average monthly salary of rugby players is GEL 400. Our sportsmen participate in France’s Elite Professional Rugby Union; over ten players are currently playing there. The Georgians have a lower wage than the French or New Zealand players. As the competition is high they have no alternative but to accept these circumstances. Their average salary in France is EUR 10-20,000,” Gia Nizharadze, President of the Rugby Federation of Georgia, told The FINANCIAL.
Currently 10% of Georgian sportsmen choose rugby as their professional career, the rest are just semi-professionals or amateurs. Nizharadze said that ten years ago all of the sportsmen in the country playing rugby were on a non-professional level.
“Coaches, the management of rugby unions and doctors make up the people other than the actual players whose livelihoods depend on rugby. The rest, including many of the players, have alternate jobs as well. It is hard to select any concrete specialization that rugby players tend to choose as their second careers. They work in all type of professions, depending on their individual abilities,” Nizharadze said.
According to Nizharadze, in comparison with other types of sport rugby is based on a set of values. “The financial aspect is not crucial for rugby players. European rugby leagues have financial benefits, received from the sale of TV air, attributes and tickets. The average number of attendants at our games is 25,000, however the maximum price for a ticket is GEL 5. As a result we receive minimum financial benefits,” he said.
Revaz Belkania, 29, is a hooker at the rugby club Lelo. He has been playing rugby since he was 11. In 2006 Belkania left for France. His first club was Figeac. From 2007 he played in Cannes for two years. In 2009 he moved to Karkerani and from 2010 till 2012 was playing in La Seyne. He is now back in Georgia playing for the club Lelo.
Belkania’s training sessions last approximately 5-6 hours daily. He says that hard work, responsibility, focus, talent and, of course, fortune are the main factors ensuring one’s success in the sport.
“The average monthly salary of rugby players in Georgia varies from GEL 500 to 1,000. This figure is considerably lower in comparison with in other types of sport. In France the monthly salaries of rugby players depend on the divisions. The average figure is EUR 3-4 thousand,” Belkania said.
“When I first started rugby in my childhood my love of this sport was the determining factor for me. My first salary was in France in 2006, before that my teammates and I were simply playing the sport as a pastime. I would recommend youngsters to play rugby, but love of this sport is crucial,” he added.
According to the Georgian Football Federation (GFF) over 17,000 Georgian youngsters currently play football. During the past decade the level of interest towards football in Georgia has not changed dramatically.
“The average monthly salary of football players in Georgia varies in accordance with the FC,” said Revaz Arveladze, General Secretary at GFF.
Arveladze assures that making it in football as a career, in terms of the wages, is possible.
According to transfermarket.co.uk the highest valued Georgian football player is Guram Kashia. His market value is GBP 4.5 million. He plays as a defender for Dutch Eredivisie club Vitesse and the Georgian national team. When he arrived into Holland in January 2011 his market value was GBP 700,000.
Giorgi Ganugrava, 24, started his football career at the age of 7 in the football school Avaza. Since then he has always been involved in active sport. Ganugrava later played for football club Ameri, Zestaponi, Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic, Győri ETO in Hungary, Lombard-Pápa and Zalaegerszegi, also in Hungary. At present he is a part of FC Metalurgi Rustavi.
Ganugrava trains for three to four hours daily. He singles out hard work, a strict training regimen and fortune as the key determining factors for the success of sportsmen.
“Besides the age difference the average wages of football players is also low in Georgia. The average monthly sum is GEL 3-4,000 while in Europe it reaches EUR 10-15,000,” Ganugrava said.
Ganugrava prefers to keep the amount of his average monthly salary confidential but does say that it is much less than those in Europe. “I am 24 and have not put much thought in to choosing an alternate career for when I retire from football,” he said.
His favourite football player is Lionel Messi. Ganugrava wishes to someday play for Barcelona and Manchester.
The Georgian Basketball Federation (GBF) does not have information about the exact number of Georgian youngsters that play basketball, although they do say that in the last 3-4 years basketball has become very popular with young people and the number of youths interested in it has significantly increased. “The number of youths interested in basketball today has tripled,” said Irakli Pertaia, Press Speaker of GBF.
Pertaia said that the revenue of basketball players has increased significantly in recent years, although it is difficult to give an exact number. “In my view, the average income of sportsmen in the Basketball Super League is GEL 1,500-2,500 monthly,” he noted.
According to Pertaia, Zaza Pachulia is the most expensive Georgian basketball player, playing for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Pachulia signed a four year contract with the Atlanta Hawks worth USD 19 million. His average annual income is more than USD 4.5 million, including taxes.
“Basketball does exist as an official career in Georgia. Successful basketball players have very good incomes. There are approximately 200 basketball players in Georgia whose main income is from this type of sport. Asides from the sportsmen themselves, coaches, team doctors and other staff also receive their salaries from the sport,” Pertaia said.
“A small number of sportsmen go on to work as coaches once finishing their playing careers. It is hard to single out any exact profession which sportsmen tend to choose after retiring. The majority continue looking for alternative sources of income depending on their capabilities,” Pertaia told The FINANCIAL.
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