Penza region children’s sports schools in the 1960s

The author examines the children's sports schools in the Penza region training young athletes in the 1960s. The actions of the authorities and the Union of Sports Societies and Organizations at the regional level to expand the network of schools and increase the number of students there are described, taking into account the availability of a sufficient material and coaching base, adhering to the specialization of schools. Children's sports schools had departments for sports that were cultivated in the region and were popular among the population: athletics, gymnastics, basketball, etc. The improvement of the student selection system for children's sports schools is being analyzed, as well as school performance indicators (training of masters of sports and sportsmen, winning prizes in competitions of different levels, etc.). Factors that negatively affected the work of schools are identified: insufficient logistical support, lack of full-time coaches and their weak professional competence.