KVF President Nyaberi promises brighter days for volleyball fans

The undying love for volleyball was witnessed during the Heroes National Tournament that happened from November 4-5 at the Koitalel Arap Samoei University in Mosoriot, Nandi County. The tournament was curtain-raised by the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) national league matches that happened from November 2-3.

Ardent fans defied the heavy rains to cheer on their favorite teams. Bodaboda riders opted to become observers instead of operators. Businesses too were closed, leaving a majority of the town empty.

However, despite the large fan turnout, the tournament which serves as the breeding ground for talents in the country has been experiencing a series of setbacks caused by the heavy rains.

The 2022 finals were rained off, with the matches ending at the knockout stages. The senior men's club category had reached the quarterfinal stage, while the women's event was at the semifinal stage when the rains started.

This year, KCB had already won the women's title, with GSU leading Equity Bank in the third set when the heavens opened. GSU were crowned the winners by that virtue.

Speaking after the four-day tournament, KVF President Charles Nyaberi lauded the fans' high spirits, noting that their love for the sport was motivating.

"We are really impressed with the Nandi community because of their love for the sport which we have always known. Nandi is the bedrock, nursery of both athletics and volleyball. 3/4 of our players from these teams come from Nandi. When we come to a place like this, they travel from far and wide to watch. We want to urge other Kenyans to embrace that," the President started.

The visionary president pointed out that they were making steps to foster the love for the game by taking the league matches to different locations.

They also aim to create a flourishing environment for potential league sponsors.

"We keep taking games around the country. Next, we will be in Eldoret, next, we are planning on something for Western Province, either Busia or Bungoma, and then we will be in Nyeri, Mombasa, and Kisumu. In all these places we can popularize our sport and get more fans.

“The more the fans, the more sponsors we will get. Sponsors want visibility in sports with larger audiences," Nyaberi told Mozzart Sport.

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The former deputy president was also excited that the tournament served as a bridge between budding players and the senior teams as well as the broader communities.

"We are happy because we know that from here, the teams have already spotted some of their young players. Some of them have already been recruited to the teams. That way, the national team will be stronger, young volleyballers get a means of income, and our sport will grow," he disclosed.

His sentiments were echoed by Law Society of Kenya (LSK) treasurer Allan Kosgei who pointed out that the main purpose of the event was to promote the growth of local talents in the region.

"We want to thank the teams for their competitive spirit. We are grateful for the coming of the National Youth Talent Academy which we want to devolve to the county to encourage our young people to participate in sports and nurture talents," he offered.

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Kosgei also called on the county government to establish an indoor arena to shield the fans and players from tough weather conditions.

"There is the Kapsabet Stadium and the Eliud Kipchoge Stadium which are being built. But in the future, we would want to have an indoor stadium to take care of sports such as volleyball. Rain is a blessing but this has been El Nino weather. If we had an indoor arena, we would be able to compete seamlessly," Kosgei averred.

Volleyball fans now shift their focus to the Eldoret City Volleyball tournament slated for later in the month.