Volleyball is bigger than we think

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Volleyball Association (SVGVA) has once again been thrown into a state of administration agitation.

Unfortunately, it is the latest of three episodes that have visited the organisation for the past decade.

Hence, the replay button was pushed, and here we are with another saga whereby the Eardley Martin- led executive has disintegrated, leaving the SVGVA rudderless, albeit for a very short period.

Martin had no other choice but to tender his resignation a week ago, after he remained the last man standing, as others would have done so over time.

Whatever were the reasons that led to the spate of resignations, the sport of Volleyball has had too much too often of the sameness.

If we jog our memories, it was almost two years ago that a similar occurrence caused Martin to come to the rescue, as he took up the mantle of the sport.

Before him, it was Mrs. Suzanna Leigertwood- Ollivierre who had to battle through many storms and held the ship afloat.

This, after Alana Mc Master called it a day, midway through her tenure.

Therefore, the latest happenings show that Volleyball keeps finding itself on the wrong side of history.

Truth be told, it is not good for the sport, as St Vincent and the Grenadines is regarded among the top teams in the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association(ECVA) setup.

On the ECVA circuit, others look forward to what the Vincentians bring, as the power hitting and flair of the players add value to the tournaments at all levels.

More so, there is enough achievement to the good that one can be proud of.

Among them was the Under-18 team’s qualification to the Inter- Continental Championships in the USA in 2012. The feat was repeated four years later, this time the lads journeyed to Canada for the championships.

Lest we forget that in 2013 , St Vincent and the Grenadines gained a qualifying spot in Beach Volleyball to go to the Youth Olympic Games staged in Nanjing, China, in 2014.

That was repeated in 2018, when St Vincent and the Grenadines was represented at Games held in Argentina.

In between, the senior men’s outfit, earned a place to the Inter- Continental Championships staged in Colorado Springs, USA, in 2017.

Then in 2018, the senior team again won the ECVA title; that earned them a place at the Championships in Canada the following year. However, a myriad of problems prevented the country’s fulfilment of the spot attained.

And, it was last October that the Male Under-23 bossed the ECVA title and most significantly, qualification to the Pan American Champions slated for Ohio, USA in July 2024.

Aren’t these accomplishments and the others not mentioned sufficient to realise that Volleyball is one of St Vincent and the Grenadines’ bright sporting sparks?

At this juncture, the sport is crying out for understanding, better interpersonal relationships and persons with like mind, who are only for the development of the young talents.

Thus, next Monday January 29, 2024, when the Special General Meeting is convened to elect a new executive to steer the course of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Volleyball Association, we hope that we find the grouping.

Hopefully, those with the administrative skills will show up at the St Vincent Grammar School and avail themselves to serve St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Volleyball wholeheartedly.

Likewise, when the process of elections is completed that the first order of call is to look at the

SVGVA’s governance structure with the view of making the pertinent changes to fit modern operations.

Additionally, building the sports from the ground up has to go parallel with the much- needed changes in the statutes of the organisation.

But as persons get ready to take up the mantle for the next quadrennial, it must be emphasised that St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Volleyball is bigger than we think.