Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) came to Namibia’s rescue when it assigned an international coach to spend three months in the country to develop the standard of volleyball locally.
In a recent interview with Desert Radio 95,3 FM, Namibia Volleyball Federation (NVF) technical director Joseph Amakali said the federation needs N$200 000 for the upkeep of the international coach.
The international volleyball coach, seconded by the FIVB from Finland and whose name is withheld, is scheduled to arrive in Namibia in September, and will be based at Swakopmund where the three-month long programme will take place.
Amakali said the FIVB agreed to to remunerate the international coach for three months, while the NVF must cover the coach’s accommodation, transport and food.
Amakali said the Finnish coach is an experienced volleyball instructor who coached the Kenyan female volleyball team that qualified for the postponed 2020 Olympic Games.
“We have decided to have 24 players as per the categories. It will be ideal to have a huge pool to draw the players from.” The programme will take place at The MTC Dome, while the players will be housed at various guest houses at Swakopmund.
“Apart from needing the N$200 000, we have approached the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service who have in principle agreed to assist with the transportation,” said Amakali. The federation also approached the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) for possible funding, but that is yet to be concluded.
Amakali said once the project is successfully concluded, a national volleyball team will be sent to neighboring countries to compete in various competitions in order to expose players.
He said the idea is to have national teams (female and male) competing in this year’s Zone Six National Championship in December, hosted by Malawi. LAGGING NATIONAL TEAM
Amakali said Namibia has not had men’s or women’s national teams for the past five years. This has caused a huge headache for the federation, due to a lack of funding.
“Funding is the fundamental problem, and as the national federation we are trying our very best. Without a sponsor there is nothing we can do, we cannot ask players to contribute for our trips, and we cannot ask parents to contribute as they refer us to the government to assist.
“We as a country are not featuring on the FIVB world ranking. We are no where to be seen and that is a huge problem,” said Amakali. The NVF has eight regional affiliates and has embarked on a pilot project to engage schools in volleyball games or leagues at school level.
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