New volleyball season should follow international calendar
KCB players hurdle at the end of their Kenya Volleyball Federation women's National League play-offs match against Kenya Pipeline at Kasarani Indoor Arena on October 4, 2023.
What you need to know:
- The increase in the number of teams opens up an opportunity for more players to showcase their talents in the National league and the general expectation is that the level of competition will be better this season.
- In the 2021/22 season, Trailblazers upset the form book by qualifying for the end of season playoffs in their first season in the men’s league.
The 2023/24 Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) National League season serves off this week with 12 women teams and 16 men teams expected to grace the first leg in Mosoriot, Nandi County.
Both leagues have two newcomers each with Bunge and Thika-based Maranatha being the new entrants in the ladies’ category while DOD and Mt Kenya Base Yetu earned promotion to the top tier from the men’s second tier.
The increase in the number of teams opens up an opportunity for more players to showcase their talents in the National league and the general expectation is that the level of competition will be better this season.
In the 2021/22 season, Trailblazers upset the form book by qualifying for the end of season playoffs in their first season in the men’s league.
Busy international calendar
Last season, Kenya Defence Forces returned to the playoffs and it remains to be seen whether the new campaign will have a surprise package.
With a busy international calendar coming up in 2024, it’s important that the Sports Organising Secretary John Oronje and his team come up with a calendar that will be strictly adhered to and ensure our national teams have adequate time to prepare for international competitions.
Despite transiting to the FIVB calendar, our league has always stretched beyond the eight-month period between October and May set aside for national federations to hold their national league season.
Cup competition
Malkia Strikers are due to defend their African Games title in Ghana in March next year, while Wafalme Stars have to navigate through the qualifiers which will be played when the Kenyan league is ongoing.
There are ongoing plans by KVF to introduce a Cup competition that will be played concurrently with the league this season and this calls for meticulous planning to ensure the season concludes in good time.
Malkia Strikers showed great improvement this year as they reclaimed the African Nations Championship title and their display in Yaounde suggested that time has come for them to break the ceiling at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Kenya has never won a set or a match at the Olympic Games but next year could be the right time to erase this worrying statistic.
This calls for proper preparations and if our league season ends in good time, the girls will have over four months to prepare for the Summer Games in Paris.
I look forward to a smooth season devoid of some complaints that emerged towards the tail end of the past campaign over which teams had qualified for the men’s play-offs.
Over to you Oronje and team, let’s keep the ball flying… in an organised way!
