KVF’s inclusion of former players in national team bench encouraging

The national men’s and women’s volleyball teams travel to Cairo, Egypt in a fortnight to participate in the Zone Five qualifiers for the delayed 2023 African Games.

At stake are two slots to the continental championship which will be hosted in Accra, Ghana from March 8 to 22.

Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) has given the new look technical staff of both teams at least two weeks to prepare their teams for the Cairo assignment where as usual Kenya will face stiff competition from hosts Egypt, Rwanda and neighbours Uganda.

But a closer look at the technical bench of both Wafalme Stars and Malkia Strikers inspires hope for retired players with quite a number having been handed roles in both teams for the upcoming zonal qualifiers.

A superstar during her heydays, Janet Wanja returns to the national team set-up as a trainer and this bodes well with what she has been doing since she retired. Wanja has been working as a fitness coach at the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) gym and her inclusion in the national team as a trainer will help her practice her new-found trade at a higher level.

Setting encyclopedia

Even more important is the mentorship factor she brings to the team especially at a time when Malkia Strikers setters Esther Mutinda and Emmaculate Nekesa are gearing up for a busy year that will take in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Wanja became an Olympian at the tender age of 20 when she made it to Team Kenya for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and brings with her experience spanning almost two decades playing at the top level.

Both Mutinda and Nekesa have never played at the Olympics with Joy Lusenaka and Jane Wacu having been selected for the delayed Tokyo 2020 edition. It will therefore be an advantage for them to have Wanja as part of the bench as they can quickly tap into her setting encyclopedia in crucial moments of the game.

Another notable inclusion is Brackcides Agala who has been appointed the Wafalme Stars team manager for the Cairo trip. Agala’s exploits on the court are well-documented having led Malkia Strikers and Kenya Prisons women’s team to major international competitions before. She knows what it takes to win at the high level and from the few sessions I’ve attended at Nyayo Stadium, she has blended in well with the playing unit.

Her vocal nature while advocating for players’ welfare as Malkia Strikers captain often put her at crossroads with the federation but she now has a chance to lead from the front as team manager. It is my hope that she will add the X factor that has been missing in the men’s national team and inject a winning mentality. It’s worrying that Wafalme Stars last participated in the African Games back in 2011 in Maputo, Mozambique.

A key member of the team that claimed bronze in Maputo 2011, Dennis Mokua is also part of the Wafalme Stars technical bench as assistant coach. Mokua played for the national team for close to 15 years and his return is timely as Wafalme Stars look to emerge out of the shadow of Malkia Strikers and become a force on their own.

Won many battles

His quiet nature belies his innate ability to read the game and analyse opponents. His wealth of experience while playing professional volleyball in Japan will also come in handy for the current outside hitters as they will be learning from the best of the best of his generation. He showed another side of his coaching abilities during the 2022/23 end of season playoffs last year when he unified the Kenya Prisons men's team to reclaim the league title they last won in 2016.

With Mokua now part of the bench, his former setter Elisha Aliwa will definitely feel emboldened to steer Wafalme Stars to greater heights. The two of them won many battles as teammates on the court and now that they have reunited as coaches on the bench, the general expectation is that they will form a strong tactical base to support head coach Gideon Tarus.

It’s commendable that the federation is considering former players for coaching and technical roles in the national teams. It’s high time that clubs start preparing their players for retirement by enrolling them in sports-related course that will keep them relevant long after they retire.

Cake is big

What a pleasant sight it will be when the entire technical bench of our national teams will be comprised of former players in future. And not just through political appointments, to award them for their long years of service to the national teams but purely on merit to uphold professionalism required at national team level.

I would be elated to see a former player with a proper medical background appointed as the team physiotherapist in future or better still a former player who is a qualified statistician, named the official team scout.

If the recent appointments are anything to go by, there is hope for former players to remain in the game even after retirement. It’s important that they cast their nets wider beyond coaching and venture into other fields within the sports industry by enrolling for these courses while still playing to ensure a smooth retirement path.

Not everyone will become a coach but there are other opportunities like nutritionist, physiotherapist, media, statistician, strength and conditioning. I could go on and on but the truth is that the cake is big enough for everyone to have a piece.   

Over to you former and current players nearing retirement. If you needed encouragement, Wanja, Agala, Aliwa and Mokua are shining examples.