Rwanda Volleyball Federation (FRVB) has put in place plans to take the game to the grassroots level in a bid to entice young players into what is one of the country’s most popular sport.

A couple of years ago the volleyball federation was probably the most organized among all sports institutions in the country and as a result, the game was growing fast right from primary schools all through to higher institutions of learning and clubs.
However, as times passes, the game appears to be fast fading way as mainstream sports. Sunday Sports talked to federation officials, coaches and senior players on how the game has evolved over the years, and what needs to be done to resurrect it from the near dead.

In an interview with this paper on Friday, Executive Secretary of the federation Gertrude Kubwimana concedes that even though the game has somehow declined, the general standards have gone up considerable.

 "Now we have a good number of young players playing in league so I hope that if we continue like this we will achieve more in the coming years,” Kubwimana said.

"We are competing in regional and continental competitions at almost all levels. We’ve put emphasis on searching for young talents from the grassroots and things appear to be progressing pretty well,” she added.

Follow-up

And according to head coach of National University of Rwanda men’s team Fidel Nyirimana aka Fidjo, the federation has good programmes aimed at developing the game, at least on paper but they need to make follow-ups on the youth players.

He continues to say that the most important thing is to give a lot of motivation to the young players, and make sure that their talents and potential doesn’t go to waste.

Asked how the game has changed over the years, Nyirimana says he finds it hard to compare the past years to today, because, "there are many changes in the game today, it has moved with new rules and regulations.

"It depends, in 2003, 2004, 2005 Rwanda was good, but I don’t know what happened now because volleyball is up and down so we have to look at what we can do for the young generations,” Fidjo adds.

He cited the example of the availability of abundant talent in secondary schools yet they lack someone you after them and guide them. "The problem is that federation does not empower the young talent.”

 "The standards in the inter-schools competitions are very down, so we need to go back to the basics that in the past years made Rwanda a top country in volleyball.

Another experienced coach and a former national team player, Jean Marie Nsengiyumva, who coaches Kigali Volleyball Club, believes that Rwanda is on right way track with the youth programmes.

"I think the game is developing slowly but surely and if we can continue with what we’re doing, i believe the future looks bright,” he noted.

Nsebgiyumva has hope in Volleyball of Rwanda because for the first time Rwanda has professional’s players, Mukunzi Christophe aka Giba, Yakan Guma Lawrence and Dusabimana Vincent Gasongo, all playing in the Algerian league.

Coaches need to stand up

As for former national team captain Jean Luc Ndayikengurukiye, it is not easy to judge what "we have done in the past years and now”, because, (then we were playing 15 points but now a set is 25 points.”

"The game has changed so much, in the past players were too physical but now the game is more technical and tactical.”

After losing Mukuni, Yakan and Gasongo, Ndayikengurukiye says that it is up to coaches to show what can do after losing their best players.

"Now we are going to see the level of coaches how they are can form other players to replace those that have gone to play professionally.”

The former KVC and APR player says that coaches must stand up and start working hard to build the young players that can help take Rwandan volleyball on next level. "If we get more young players it will help take volleyball on better standards.”

Ends