FIVB Puts its Weight Behind Pro Volleyball; Lauds VFI

KOCHI:
A few days after it lifted the suspension on the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI), the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) today committed its support to the upcoming Pro Volleyball League.
In a letter addressed to VFI Secretary General, Ramavtar Singh Jakhar, FIVB President Dr. Ary S Graca congratulated the VFI on setting up a professional Volleyball league. In the letter, Dr. Graca said, “I congratulate you on the creation of the Pro Volleyball League in India.
This is the most important step for the development of our beloved sport in the country. Developing the sport of Volleyball in India is one of the top priorities for FIVB and we extend all our support to the Pro Volleyball league in as many ways as possible.”
Thanking the FIVB President for the support, Jakhar added “We are extremely grateful to FIVB for the support they have offered for developing Volleyball in the country, we now look forward to working closely with them for developing a road map which will make India one of the top Volleyball nations in the world. We will also be inviting the FIVB President to grace the opening of the Pro Volleyball League.”
VFI has entered into a joint partnership with India’s leading sports marketing firm Baseline Ventures India Pvt Ltd for the conduct of the Pro Volleyball League. Kochi and Jaipur will play host to the inaugral edition of the league.
The Pro Volleyball League which will commence post the Asian Games 2018, in mid-September, will be played across two cities in the country, one in North India and one in the South India. The league’s blue print is defined thoroughly, with the aid of the Volleyball Federation of India.
The current league structure will consist of 18 matches, which will be played across two indoor venues. The teams will consist of men from the national teams across all FIVB (the international governing body of the sport) member nations, with a predominant Indian Player pool.
Player auctions are scheduled for July and franchise-owners can bid for the Indian players from a bank of over 90 players, while the foreign players will be recruited via player draft.