Masters volleyball launched in Gauteng
The launch was held at Eagle Canyon Clubhouse in Honeydew where volleyball stalwarts, teams and administrators shared the vision and mission of this new league.
Senior volleyball enthusiasts have been given an opportunity to make a return to the competitive fraternity of volleyball following the launch of a Gauteng league.
The Thembakele Gauteng Masters Volleyball Series was launched in Johannesburg by the South African Masters Volleyball Association (Samva) on 18 February, with the aim of promoting the sport and getting volleyball fanatics back in good shape.
This was a boost for Masters Sports in the country. Masters sports is internationally recognised and administered by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA). Every four years, tens of thousands of athletes gather at the World Masters Games to compete in what is widely regarded as the Olympics for the elderly. These games cater for sports people of all abilities and ages from 30 upwards.
The inaugural launch was held at Eagle Canyon Clubhouse in Honeydew, where volleyball stalwarts, teams and administrators shared the vision and mission of this new league.
The president of Samva, Yogas Reddy, who’s been pioneering the growth of volleyball in the country, explained how the league is going to work. “We have eight tournaments scheduled until November. We’re playing in Durban for the national tournament in August – then the teams go international, to Malaysia, in September. We want mass participation and to try and get as many children to come out and watch us as we also try to get them back into the sport,” said Reddy.
With over 30 years of experience as a volleyball player, Reddy told Northsider that he and a group of friends were driven by a passion to return to the sport. “We’ve always been competitive, so we needed a vehicle to start playing again. And it was basically for the love of the sport and passion that we decided to start competing against each other and that grew into bringing the old players back to the fore,” he explained.
Reddy said this league only caters for players that are over 30; however, he encouraged young passionate players to join school leagues and other federations.
“The young players have their own structured leagues within the different federations. We focus on people over the age of 30 years – youngsters can join schools leagues, and when they turn 30, they can join us,” he said.
The commitment of sponsors for this programme enabled different venues to be secured for the games, and funded stipends for referees and prize money for the winning team at the end of the league.
Committee member Matthew Govender said spectators will be able to attend matches at no cost. The league hopes to launch this series in other provinces as well.
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