Youth and junior volleyball in Barbados are in line for a tremendous boost with the Barbados Volleyball Association (BVA) on the point of securing one and possibly two international sports courts.
“The NORCECA Development Programme involves providing seven sport courts a year to Category I and II member federations,” said long-serving BVA president John Griffith, who is now attending the NORCECA’s 21st Congress in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic,
“Barbados was always in line to receive one of the courts, and while attending the FIVB-sponsored International Sports Management Seminar which preceded the congress, we discovered that we might be able to secure two courts by mid- or late November,” he added.
“NORCECA is ready to ship a court once Barbados satisfies all of the necessary requirements.”
Griffith, who has been trying to reenergize the youth and junior programmes in an effort to reestablish the senior team’s dominance at the regional level, hinted that two secondary schools would directly benefit since the courts would be laid at schools with indoor court facilities.
While Griffith did not disclose which schools the BVA would consider, Springer Memorial in Government Hill and the St Michael School both have covered hard courts.
The court at Springer is purely a volleyball court and a laid sports court would not be disturbed or removed for any other sporting activity.
During the past five years the BVA has benefited from Norceca’s donation of more than 200 volleyballs as well as nets, antennae, scoreboards and other volleyball paraphernalia.
Recently the association presented more than 50 junior balls to the National Sports Council to be used in its school programmes.
The BVA’s youth programmes have begun to reap benefits, with a team made up of primary school pupils and secondary school first formers taking part in the current BNB League tournament.
The addition of indoor facilities with an international sports court would enhance the training of those juniors who vie for limited time at the Wildey Gym.
