Guyana Volleyball President (GVF) John Flores said yesterday that one of the main objectives of the federation this year is to acquire land for the construction of a volleyball court, an initiative which will be supported by the government of Brazil.
Flores made the disclosure in an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport during which he also revealed that staging a number of local tournaments and coaching clinics are also in the pipeline.
He said that although 2015 was a decent year for the GVF, he was optimistic that this year much more can be achieved through the various ventures which the GVF plan to undertake, starting with the reintegration of the sport in the school system.
“We started last year working with the Ministry of Sports/Culture to run off school tournaments because, according to the world body (FIVB), it’s mandatory that we have volleyball in schools,” said Flores.
He disclosed that the GVF is required to have some 16 respective competitions within the school system annually.
Most of the GVF’s local tournaments are either held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) or the National Gymnasium, but Flores confirmed that neighbors Brazil, are willing to stand the cost of building the court once the land space is acquired and the permission is given.
If all goes well, Flores said, that the GVF should get the project up and running by year end.
He said that the federation was in the process of seeking an audience with the Guyana government to secure a piece of land in Georgetown.
The court, when completed, will have an overhead covering along with bleachers so the players will be allowed to train within their personal space.
Turning his attention to female volleyball which has not been doing so well as of late, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Commander said that special attention will be paid to the local ladies in 2016.
He said he plans to opening clubs for females and have more competitions ideas which he hopes will help to raise the standard of female volleyball.
Flores said that he recently received an invitation from CSV partners Brazil, for a male tournament set to be played in Sao Paulo, Brazil on February 26.
Apart from that assignment the men will engage in other training sessions as well as club matches organized by the three county associations, Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo.
According to Flores, Essequibo is in for massive makeover as the federation plans to commence work in the beach aspect of the sport. He said the Cinderella County is ideal for beach volleyball and the fact that the GVF has been engaging in numerous beach competitions over the past two years will allow them to further train and familiarize themselves on a more consistent basis.
Also, national coach and GVF vice president Levi Nedd was recently elected the new president of the Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA). The GVF held elections last year and will continue with the current executives for the four-year period.
Concerning the federation’s finances Flores said that the GVF has not reached the stage where their accounts need to be fully audited due to the fact that most of their sponsorship comes from the FIVB and other regional associations with whom they are affiliated.
He did says however that they do not have any outstanding debts “Guyoil gives us money for the annual Tradewinds tournament which they sponsor but we give a statement for transparency after,” Flores said.
The Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and the National Sports
Commission (NSC) have also promised sponsorship and support for 2016 but Flores said that he was hopeful that more sponsors will come on board this year.
He also disclosed that the GVF will spike off most of their competitions after the 2016 Olympics set for Brazil in August.
