Windhoek, May 19 – – The first-ever Nedbank Volley 1st Tournament took place on Saturday, 14 May 2022, at the Valombola Vocational Training Centre (VVTC), in Ongwediva. The tournament was an initiative between Connect People To People (CPTP), the Namibia Volleyball Federation (NVF), and was sponsored by Nedbank Namibia and Windhoek Draught.
The overarching purpose of the tournament between CPTP and NVF is to create a competitive, yet fun, event in their collective quest to grow the sport. One of the team’s strategic objectives for this tournament was to increase its popularity amongst corporates, agencies, and businesses in the northern regions.
Namibia Volleyball Federation Spokesperson, Hillary “Dux” Imbuwa, says the idea came about in 2019 to have an impactful event in 2020. “The initiative, which was birthed in 2019 for 2020, had to be put on hold due to the unforeseen Covid-19 Pandemic which put the world in a halted state in an attempt to curb the deadly virus. With health and the relevant sporting regulatory measures now in place to make sure people can participate in bigger-sized outdoors events, everybody can enjoy the game”, Imbuwa said.
The one-day event saw over 20 volleyball teams battle it out at the VVTC training grounds for the title of being crowned the inaugural Nedbank Volley 1st Tournament Champions. The Namibian Correctional Services Volleyball Club scooped top honours as they came out on top to win the grand prize of N$ 7 500, a trophy, and medals. Team Uzo-Tech came in second place to claim the prize of N$ 5 000, with team MediPark, coming in third place to win N$ 3 200 in prize money.
At the prize-giving ceremony, Nedbank Namibia’s Head of Marketing and Communications, Gernot de Klerk, congratulated the winners and thanked the participants and the organizing team for making the event a success. “The sheer determination of everyone on the court today was incredible, and with the warm reception we received, we are pleased to inform each and everyone here today that we will come back for yet another edition of the Nedbank Volley 1st Tournament”, De Klerk mentioned.
Imbuwa pleaded with the winning teams to use the funds to invest in the game. “We are all grateful to Nedbank Namibia for making this event happen for the volleyball fraternity in the north. Let us then use this prize money to plough back into the sport by buying equipment which will help keep the sport on its feet with the goal of elevating it to the next level”, Imbuwa concluded.
