The President of Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engineer Musa Nimrod, said his administration will uncover more young players like Ifunanya Udeagbala (Anambra Angels) in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Nimrod disclosed this during the closing ceremony of the 2022 National Division 1 and 2 Volleyball Leagues held at the indoor sports hall of Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna on Thursday night.
Anambra Angels’ Ifunanya Udeagbala was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 National Division 1 Volleyball League (women’s category).
Nimrod said Ifunanya Udeagbala has the potential of playing professional volleyball outside the shores of the country adding that the Federation will continue to provide an enabling environment for young players to thrive.
He said, “One of the mandates of this current NVBF board is to ensure the young players have the opportunity to play volleyball. There are many young players like Ifunanya Udeagbala scattered across the 36 states of the Federation. You will vividly recall that during my first term, the Federation organised a clinic for girls below 18 in the 6 geopolitical zones which yielded positive response.
“You can see Anambra Angels player, Ifunanya Udeagbala that played well at the 2022 National Division 1 Volleyball League; she is a young girl making waves across the country and in SS3.
“I want to encourage her parents to give her more opportunities to participate in more volleyball tournaments. I see her playing professional volleyball in the near future. I want to commend her coach, teammates and the community that helped shape our future star”.
Engr. Nimrod who is the Secretary General of Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Zone 3 said the successes recorded at the just concluded National Division 1 and 2 Volleyball Leagues was not magic.
“I am so happy that our vision has come into fulfilment that today we have the Nigeria Volleyball Premier League, the National Division 1 and 2 Leagues. What you are witnessing here at the Division 1 and 2 is not magic; Nigeria has been able to conquer the age group African Championships because of the structure of the league which gives opportunities to younger players,” he ended.
