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Tag: NVBF

  • NVBF begins plans to host Under-19 Men’s Nations Cup

    NVBF begins plans to host Under-19 Men’s Nations Cup

    The Nigeria Volleyball Federation ( NVBF ) on Monday said plans were underway to host the Zone Three Club Championship and U-19 Men’s African Nations Cup in Abuja.

    Maikano Adamu, the Secretary-General of NVBF, however, told our reporter that the federation was still awaiting the Ministry of Youths and Sports’ approval for the hosting.

    Adamu said the Confederation of African Volleyball ( CAVB ) has already given the federation the hosting right to the two championships.

    “We are expecting a team from the African body of volleyball to come and inspect our facilities ahead of the championship,’’ he said.

    Adamu said the African Club Championship would have teams from eight countries in the zone, adding that the championship has been tentatively fixed to hold in April.

    He added that the U-19 Nations Cup would hold in July or August.

    Read also:NVBF opens camp for Beach Volleyball Under-21 World Championship Qualifiers

    “The federation has already set up a committee to verify the state of our facilities before the team’s arrival. So, it will be easy for us to take them round the facilities.

    “The state of our facilities will give the team the hope that we are ready to host the championship,’’ Adamu said.

    The federation secretary disclosed that CAVB had already sent letters of invitations to clubs which would participate in the championship.

    “In our tradition as a federation, we have also sent letters to clubs and states, to indicate their interest to participate and also to solicit support in terms of sponsorship,’’ he said.

    On the federation’s upcoming national league, Adamu said the federation would hold a stakeholders meeting on Sunday to deliberate on the way forward to having a sustainable volleyball league.

    He called on the media and multinationals to partner with the federation to support volleyball and further develop the sport.

    NAN

  • NVBF secures Japanese Olympic body’s assistance in training coaches

    The Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) has secured the services of a volleyball coach through the help of the Japanese Olympic Committee to help in updating Nigerian coaches’ knowledge.

    Adisa Beyioku, Secretary-General of Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja that the coach was due to arrive in Nigeria on Saturday evening.

    “The coach is coming courtesy of a form of assistance to the NVBF, and it is a programme courtesy of the Japanese Olympic Committee. It is to help in developing Nigerian volleyball overall, but basically in training our coaches over one week in Abuja.

    “These coaches, whom we expect to be between 150 and 200 in number, will then go on to coach others across the country,’’ he said.

    The NVBF secretary-general said the coaches training programme was being supported by the Japanese government which is taking care of the Japanese trainer’s expenses on accommodation, feeding and transportation.

    “We are indeed grateful to the Japanese for this assistance, because it is something we cannot really quantify, being a sort of transfer of knowledge.

    “Even if we are able to quantify it, it is something that is enormous in financial terms, and we are very grateful for that,’’ he said.

    Beyioku said the NVBF would be expecting each volleyball association in the country’s 36 states and the FCT to send their head coach to the coaching seminar.

    “Also, all military and para-military bodies and organs who have volleyball teams, as well as tertiary institutions across the country, are being expected to send in their head coaches.

    “They are expected to arrive in Abuja on Monday, ahead of a pre-training meeting with the coach and NVBF officials,’’ he said.

  • NVBF calls eight for beach volleyball camp

    NVBF calls eight for beach volleyball camp

    Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) has invited eight beach volleyball players into camp ahead of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games scheduled to hold in Nanjing, China, from 16 – 28 August 2014.

    The names forwarded to the National Sports Commission (NSC) include four male and four female players out of which two boys and two girls will eventually be selected for the games. The male team has Morris Samuel, Kalu Idika, Ayobami Phillips and Brouno Ibe, while the female team has Bitrus Jummai, Hajara Audu, Franka Ikeide and Nnoruga Tochukwu.

    The male duo of Morris and Kalu and female pair of Hajara and Jummai secured the country’s qualification for YOG after participating in the African qualifiers held in Ghana from April 10 to April 13.

    The Chairman of the Beach Volleyball Commission of the NVBF, Musa Nimrod, disclosed to SportingLife that the invitation of two new sets of boys and girls to join those that played in Ghana became necessary in order to ensure that the best represent the country in China.

    “Because of our experience in Ghana, we have to strengthen the team again to ensure that the best represent us in China.

    “We have submitted the list of eight players to the National Sports Commission and they will be moving to camp immediately. We have two more male and two female players joining those that qualified Nigeria for the Youth Games at the qualifier in Ghana.  This is to ensure competition as there is no automatic place to anybody; every player must fight for his or her shirt. The best two  will be picked from both male and female at the end of the day,” Nimrod told SportingLife.

  • NVBF solicits sponsors for Beach Volleyball

    NVBF solicits sponsors for Beach Volleyball

    Commission of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), has appealed to Samsung Electronics and other corporate organisations to sponsor the game’s proposed National Tour.

    Nimrod told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that the tour would serve as its league for qualification for the Continental Tour later in the year.

    “We are already in contact with Samsung Electronics to sponsor our proposed National Beach Volleyball Tour which will go round the six geo-political zones. It is a competition that will serve as our league, with players getting points from it for rankings which will determine their participation at continental and international engagements.

    “Without the National Tour, the players cannot go for the continental tour which will come up in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the Rio 2016 Olympics qualifiers. So, it is because of this that we are appealing to Samsung and some other corporate bodies to come to our aid to enable us accomplish this task ahead of us,’’ the Beach Volleyball Commission chairman said.

    Nimrod, also a NVBF board member, disclosed that the tour was expected to start from Kaduna and move to other cities such as Jos, Lagos, Yola, Jalingo, Enugu and others.

    Speaking on the perceived poor performance of the national beach volleyball teams in 2012 and 2013, Nimrod attributed the situation to visa denial and not funds as speculated.

    “The problem we had during the qualifiers and some of the championships held in 2012 and 2013 was visa denial by the embassies of some of the countries we were supposed to go to. We were lucky then that we had the funds, and we were able to champion our cause and we prepared well for the events. But we were denied visa at the last minute. This affected our morale greatly, and the sport generally,’’ he said.

    Nimrod, however ,said the confederation was confident that it would not witness a recurrence of what happened then.

    “I am sure 2014 will be a better year for us. We are now wiser and we will be better prepared,’’ he said.

    The Beach Volleyball Commission chairman, however, appraised the just-concluded NVBF President’s Beach Volleyball Male and Female Championships as rewarding.

    “Good talents were exhibited, and we have seen a good number of players who will form the bedrock of the national team players. The talents who were discovered will be nurtured to glory and as soon as we have a date for the Youth Olympics Games qualifiers, we will open camp for them.

    “This is because our target for this year is to

     

    take the male team to number one in Africa from

     

    their current third position. The Nigerian female

     

    team is already the first team in Africa, and we

     

    only need to consolidate on that,’’ Nimrod said.

    NAN reports that the 2014 edition of the

     

    championships, which is the third in the series,

     

    was held on Feb. 21 and 22 at the Jabi Lake Dam.

    Five male and four female teams took part in the

     

    championships, with Team Kaduna winning the title

     

    in both categories.

     

     

  • Nigeria fails to pick ticket

    • NVBF blames outing on shoddy preparation

    Nigeria Men’s National Volleyball team failed to book one of the African ticket s to the 2014 Men’s World Championship in Poland after they finished 4th at the Pool T African qualification tournament held at Palais des Sports in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

    The Nigerians who arrived in Yaoundé a day before their first match against Cameroon, began their campaign losing 1-3 (11-25, 25-22, 18-25, 19-25) to the host country. The team then rallied back in the second game to beat Gabon 1-3 (25-22, 20-25, 11-25, 16-25).

    Nigeria then lost 1-3 (23-25, 16-25, 25-21, 17-25) to Rwanda in the third game before losing 3-1 (25-17, 25-14, 21-25, 25-15) to Algeria in the last game to finish 4th overall with just three points.

    Cameroon won the five-nation round robin tournament with a win-loss ratio of 3-1 to gain nine points to win the Pool’s qualification ticket. Algeria and Rwanda came second and third respectively, while Gabon finished fifth.

    The technical committee chairman of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), Tony Oghuma- Eghiemai blamed Nigeria’s poor outing on the team’s shoddy preparation for the tournament.

    In a telephone chat with SportingLife on Tuesday, Oghuma-Eghiemai revealed that Nigeria participated in the tournament because the federation was afraid of being sanctioned by the Volleyball ruling body. Nevertheless, he praised the players for their level of discipline and commitment towards the event.

    “First of all, I’m happy with their level of commitment. I’m satisfied also with the amount of discipline they exhibited. We know what it takes for you to be there, you are expecting money from home and the money is not forthcoming.

    “Again, against the backdrop of the fact that they didn’t camp for a long time, to a large extent they tried. Look at Cameroon, they were preparing for this championship for the past six months, playing friendly matches in far away France. Rwanda too were in the Netherlands for two months. The same thing with Algeria.

    “I think it’s a lesson for all of us that before our next outing, if there is no good preparation, we’ll just let it go. In fact, we really attended this because we were afraid of sanctions from the FIVB and TAVB if we didn’t go for the final phase, having competed in the first and second phases.

    “So, to a large extent I’m happy with the boys, it’s a good experience for them, it’s a good experience for the federation, it’s a good experience for Nigeria as a country.”

     

  • 2014 FIVB Men’s World Championships qualifiers: NVBF selects 12 players

    2014 FIVB Men’s World Championships qualifiers: NVBF selects 12 players

    • Team departs February 12 

    The Nigerian Volleyball Federation (NVBF) has selected 12 players to represent the country at the final round of the 2014 FIVB Men’s World Championships Pool “T” qualifier scheduled for February 12-18 in Cameroon.

    The federation’s technical committee chairman, Tony Oghuma-Eghiemai, who disclosed this to SportingLife in a telephone interview on Thursday, said the team will depart the country on the 12th of February.

    The players are: Emmanuel Jatto (captain), Daniel Nathaniels, Hassan Eruaga, Emmanuel Samuel, David Lawal, Harrison Anyasodike, Akinbo Sunday, Ejeh Mathew, Isaac Ijigba, Adamu Ibrahim, Dikkiyal Morris, and John Salami. The coaches are Austen Odumo as Head Coach, Samuel Ajayi and Eze Ogwuamalam as Assistant Coaches.

    While acknowledging the efforts of the National Sports Commission (NSC) at ensuring that the team is adequately catered for, Oghuma-Eghiemai assured that the players are ready to do the country proud by picking the ticket to the world championship.

    “The succuor from the National Sports Commission is on the way and that is why the boys are very happy. The NSC is helping us in terms of offsetting the allowances, providing tickets to attend the championship, and, of course, kitting the team and other logistics.

    “The team will depart the shores of the country on February 12, which is the arrival date. The expectations are high and the guys are in killer mood. They want to do their fatherland very proud by picking the ticket at this championship,” he told SportingLife.

    The Nigeria senior men’s volleyball team will begin its campaign against host Cameroon on February 13, tussle it out against Gabon the next day before playing Rwanda and Algeria on February 16 and 17 respectively.

    The top team in the pool will join the winners of the other two pools to represent Africa in Poland.

    The FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championships, Poland 2014 will take place August 30 to September 21.

     

  • Morakinyo commends Volleyball team over successful outing

    Morakinyo commends Volleyball team over successful outing

    Ebenezer Morakinyo, the First Vice-President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), on Wednesday commended the Nigerian Beach Volleyball team, for a creditable performance at the just-concluded West Africa Beach Open Championship.
    He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the team which emerged as runners up in the competition that took place in Takoradi, Ghana, surpassed all expectations. NAN reports that the championship held from Dec.12 to Dec.16.
    He added that team’s participation in the championship was part of preparations for the forthcoming Intercontinental Volleyball Competition slated to hold in 2014 in Poland.
    “I’m glad that in spite of the accommodation problem the team encountered, they were still able to bounce back from that and secure the second spot. The hotel was about 10 km from the venue, so after the first game against Ghana, which we lost, the coach devised a way to deal with the players and we still came second,’’ he said.
    Morakinyo told NAN that the federation would build on the success it recorded at the championship, in their buildup to competitions in 2014.
    “This coming year, we are going to camp players for six or more weeks, so that they will be ready for the next phase of the championship. The NVBF also plans to create a more vibrant year ahead and more successful outings,’’ he added.

  • NVBF for World Congress

    The Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) says the 33rd FIVB World Congress in the U.S. would help enhance its efforts at technical and grassroots development of volleyball in Nigeria.

    The Federation’s Secretary-General, Adisa Beyioku said on Sunday in Abuja that the congress would be an opportunity for Nigeria to further enhance the game’s development.

    The congress is scheduled for Anaheim in California U.S.A. from Sept. 18 to 22, with NVBF President, Habu Gumel, and Beyioku expected to represent Nigeria.
    However, Beyioku said the congress would be more than just an event where the international body would elect its new governing board.

    “It is a fact that the congress of the FIVB, the International Volleyball Federation, will elect a new governing board in California later this week. This board is to be in office for the next four years.

    “But Nigeria’s attendance of the congress goes beyond the ordinary, or being part of the elections, as we have a target of ensuring we get the FIVB to make some approvals for us.

    “It is indeed an opportunity to discuss with our international body vital issues which concerns the development of volleyball in Nigeria, and get more international support for the federation,’’ he said.
    The NVBF Secretary-General said the federation would in particular be seeking more support from the FIVB for its grassroots project tagged ’Volleyball at Schools’.
    “This project is a programme designed to take the sport to the grassroots in Nigeria and enhance its development through the schools.

    “The FIVB has provided initial support for us through the provision of 2,500 balls which we gave out to some schools.

    “But we now want more balls, as well as nets and other equipment that will help to enhance the programme.

    “Not only that, we will be looking forward to any other form of assistance we can get from the FIVB or any other body or group, in terms of technical assistance,’’ he said.
    Beyioku said the NVBF would also be seeking, at the FIVB congress, an approval for it to host two courses for referees next year.

    “We are hoping to have one in April for indoor volleyball referees, and the second one in August for beach volleyball, and we are only awaiting the international federation’s endorsement of the dates,’’ he said.

    The NVBF official said the referees courses would help to enhance the development of the game not only in Nigeria but the African continent as a whole.

    “We want more of our indigenous referees to be FIVB-certified. In the past, our referees faced the limitation of having to travel abroad to attend courses that would help them get certified.

    “The financial burden of this has been enormous, thus preventing many of them from attaining the status that would have not only helped them develop but also help develop our game.

    “Now, if we host the courses as we intend to now, many of our referees will attend since the courses will be FIVB-sanctioned because they will approve all we will do there and also send resource persons.

    “We will also have referees from outside Nigeria coming here for the courses, because such courses are rare and not easy to come by in this part of the world.

    “In fact, we will have referees coming from other continents too, and this will not only help the federation but our referees and our game,’’ he said. Both Gumel and Beyioku are scheduled to leave for the congress early this week.