The 1937 Soviet Top League was the third season of the top-tier all-Union league competitions (Gruppa A). The league competition started a week after conculusion of the 1937 Soviet Cup.
| Season | 1937 |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 23 – October 30 |
| Champions | Dynamo Moscow 2nd All-Union league title |
| Relegated | none (reorganization) |
| Matches played | 72 |
| Goals scored | 224 (3.11 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Vasili Smirnov Leonid Rumyantsev Boris Paichadze 8 goals |
| Biggest home win | Metallurg 5–0 CDKA (August 12) |
| Biggest away win | Spartak 0–4 Metallurg (August 28) Krasnaya Zarya 2–6 Dynamo K. (August 28) Dynamo Tb. 0–4 Dynamo M. (September 18) CDKA 1–5 Dynamo M. (October 24) |
| Highest scoring | Krasnaya Zarya 2–6 Dynamo K. (August 28) Dynamo Tb. 5–3 Dynamo K. (October 10) |
1938 → | |
Before the start of the season, two sports societies Dynamo and Spartak were awarded the order of Lenin on resolution of the USSR Central Executive Committee of 22 July 1937.[1]
Format
This year it was decided to have both season halves combined. The season started in the summer after the cup competition that preceded it and was also won by Dynamo Moscow.
The defending champion for this edition was FC Spartak Moscow. The season started somewhat late on July 23, 1937, with the game in Kyiv where the League newcomer Metallurg surprisingly defeated the local Dynamo 2:0. The conclusion of the season came on October 30, 1937, with the games in Tbilisi and Moscow's Sokolniki.[2] That game on CSKA Stadium became a culminating as the Army team hold the defending champions to a draw that left Spartak without their title. Interesting is the fact that less than a week prior to that Dynamo Moscow was able to defeat CDKA 5:1 setting them three points ahead of Spartak.
Team changes from last season
| Promoted from 1936 (fall) Gruppa B | Relegated from 1936 (fall) Gruppa A |
|---|---|
 Serp i Molot Moscow (1st) |  CDKA Moscow (8th) |
- Name change: Serp i Molot → Metallurg
After playing two games in the Group B it was decided to return CDKA Moscow back to the Group A. The Group A was extended once again to nine teams with a new team FC Metallurg Moscow joining the group that won the 1936 Group B fall championship as Serp i Molot Moscow. At the end of the season no teams were relegated as the group was planned to be extended for the next season.
Standings
| Pos | Republic | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Russian SFSR | Dynamo Moscow (C) | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 37 | 20 | 1.850 | 38 | Champions of the Soviet Union |
| 2 | Russian SFSR | Spartak Moscow | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 24 | 16 | 1.500 | 37 | Runners-up prize recipients |
| 3 |  Ukrainian SSR | Dynamo Kiev | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 33 | 24 | 1.375 | 36 | |
| 4 |  Georgian SSR | Dynamo Tbilisi | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 24 | 1.250 | 34 | |
| 5 | Russian SFSR | Metallurg Moscow | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 26 | 21 | 1.238 | 32 | |
| 6 | Russian SFSR | Lokomotiv Moscow | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 20 | 0.900 | 31 | |
| 7 | Russian SFSR | Dynamo Leningrad | 16 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 21 | 25 | 0.840 | 29 | |
| 8 | Russian SFSR | Krasnaya Zarya Leningrad | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 31 | 0.548 | 28 | |
| 9 | Russian SFSR | CDKA Moscow | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 43 | 0.419 | 23 |
Rules for classification: Points awarded were 3 for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss and none for a no appearance. In case of tie on points, there was used goal ratio for tiebreaker for any places beside the first and the last, for which was decided to conduct additional game.[3]
(C) Champions
Results
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boris Paichadze | Dynamo Tbilisi | 8 |
| Leonid Rumyantsev | Spartak Moscow | ||
| Vasily Pavlovich Smirnov | Dynamo Moscow | ||
| 4 | Pavel Komarov | Dynamo Kyiv | 7 |
| Mikhail Semichastny | Dynamo Moscow | ||
| 6 | Gayk Andriasov | Lokomotiv Moscow | 6 |
| Aleksei Ponomaryov | Dynamo Moscow | ||
| Mikhail Yakushin | Dynamo Moscow | ||
| Nikolai Yartsev | Krasnaya Zarya Leningrad | ||
| 10 | Pyotr Bykov | Dynamo Leningrad | 5 |
| Grigory Fedotov | Metallurg Moscow | ||
| Mikhail Kireyev | CSKA Moscow | ||
| Ivan Kuzmenko | Dynamo Kyiv | ||
| Vadim Potapov | Metallurg Moscow | ||
| Ivan Smirnov | Krasnaya Zarya Leningrad |
Medal squads
(league appearances and goals listed in brackets)
| 1. FC Dynamo Moscow |
Goalkeepers: Yevgeny Fokin (15 / -19), Aleksandr Kvasnikov (1 / -1). One own goal(s) scored by Mikhail Denisov (FC Dynamo Leningrad), Iosif Lifshyts (FC Dynamo Kyiv) Manager: Viktor Dubinin. Transferred out during the season: . |
| 2. FC Spartak Moscow |
Goalkeepers: Anatoly Akimov (13 / -10), Ivan Ryzhov (3 / -6). Manager: Konstantin Kvashnin. Transferred out during the season: . |
| 3. FC Dynamo Kyiv |
Goalkeepers: Anton Idzkovsky (13 / -20), Mykola Trusevych (3 / -4). Manager: Moisey Tovarovsky. Transferred out during the season: . |
| Group A 1937 winners |
|---|
| FC Dynamo Moscow Second title |