KATHMANDU, April 2: The third edition of the National Women's and Men's Club League Volleyball Tournament has got a new sponsor in Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB) after the latter inked an agreement with Nepal Volleyball Association (NVA) on Sunday.
As per the agreement, RBB will now provide Rs 2 million to NVA to conduct the tournament for two years. This is the biggest sponsorship Nepali volleyball has ever received. In the earlier edition of the tournament, Pentagon College was the main sponsor having provided Rs 350,000 to NVA.
The club league that will be held from Aprill 11 to 17 at the Dasharath Stadium's covered hall, Tripureshwar will see the participation of seven teams in women's event and eight in men's event.
In the signing ceremony organized in the capital, NVA's President Manoranjan Raman Sharma and RBB's President Rabindra Prasad Pandey signed on the agreement papers.
Franchise-based women’s volleyball league in October
After signing the agreement, RBB's President Pandey said that he was already looking for a long-term partnership with NVA for the development of Nepali volleyball. “Everyone has to contribute to the development of Nepali sports. So we are delighted to be a part of this tournament. Hopefully, our association with NVA can help Nepali volleyball reach the next level,” said Pandey.
NVA's President Sharma said that the sponsorship deal with RBB was very important for Nepali volleyball. “Our responsibility for developing Nepali volleyball has even more increased with this agreement with RBB. This deal is going to help us organize the tournament successfully,” said Sharma.
Meanwhile, New Diamond Sports Club, Nepal Police Club, Armed Police Force (APF), Western Tops, Tribhuvan Army Club and Jawalakhel Sports Club will participate in the women's category of the league.
Similarly, Help Nepal Sports Club, Tribhuvan Army Club, APF, Western Region Volleyball Association, Nepal Police, Dhorpatan Sports Club, Jawalakhel Volleyball Training Center and Mani Mukunda Club are the teams participating in the men's category.
The teams participating in the league were selected on the basis of the performances they gave in the NVA National Club Championship that was held last September.
Meanwhile, NVA's General Secretary Jitendra Bahadur Chand said that the league will be organized in better way than the last two editions. “Though we have limited infrastructure, we will organize the league in a more improved way,” said Chand.
The champion of both categories in the league will win a purse of Rs 200,000 respectively while the runners-up will be given Rs 100,000 respectively. Similarly, the third and fourth placed teams will be rewarded with Rs 50,000 and 25000 respectively.
Likewise, the best player of the league will be rewarded with Rs 25,000 while the other best players in every position will be given Rs 5000 each.
