Pakistan’s senior volleyball team finished fourth in the 1989 Seoul Asian Championship, but it has failed to repeat that performance ever since, mostly ending seventh or eighth in the continental event. It is not that there is any talent issue. If we can beat teams like China and India and trouble strong Iran, who invest heavily in volleyball, it means we have good talent. It is the financial issue which mostly hampers the growth of our volleyball. Former Pakistan’s Iranian coach Hamid Movahedi once told me that Pakistan is laden with talent but the state cannot afford to build the talent properly. And this is a fact. Constant camps, international exposure, diet, jobs, pro league, quality coaching, maximum engagement in foreign leagues and media coverage can help volleyball grow a lot.Mostly the sport is followed in the rural areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which produce top talent with good height.

We see regular events in rural areas which are seen by big crowds. Pakistan Volleyball Federation’s (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob says that despite the numerous issues hampering the country’s volleyball growth, the country’s volleyball can grow. “InshaAllah we will regain our 1989 Asian Championship status in the next three to four years,” Yaqoob told ‘The News on Sunday’ (TNS) in an interview.

Yaqoob, a former top police official, is one of the most efficient officials in Pakistan’s sports system. He has been seen bringing in sponsors and has worked quite effectively for volleyball promotion. “I feel that there is a big financial issue and the problems have been compounded by Covid but we plan to take the game to new heights in the coming years. Later this year we plan to launch a professional league. It will help boost the financial status of the players and it is very important if we are to go up,” Yaqoob said.

“If we get sponsorship, my plan is to also send my teams to Europe for grooming. Once we do that I hope we will be able to raise our standard through better performances in the international circuit and will also be able to make it to the major events,” Yaqoob said.

“Quality coaching and international exposure are the two important things which we are working on. If players get exposure they will learn and will gain confidence. We plan to do that,” Yaqoob said.

Pakistan is set to feature in the Asian Championship in Japan in September this year. And it will be a testing period for the Green-shirts to improve their rankings.

It is expected that the players will assemble at Wah Cantt for a training camp on Monday (June 7). “We have invited 22 players for the camp and they will be reduced to 18. The players have been picked keeping in view the performances in the National Championship, last Asian Championship and Under-20 and Under-23 teams who have been groomed a lot. We are going to start the camp from June 7 as we need at least three months for training for the Asian Championship. If we get some finances in the meantime and Covid-19 situation improves, then we will try to also give some exposure to the brigade ahead of the Japan event,” Yaqoob said.

The Japan event is also a qualifier for the World Championship.

“The PSB has agreed to back us in our training and it has also agreed to help us hire an Iranian coach who we are bringing in for sufficient time and hopefully he will remain with us until the 2023 South Asian Games which Pakistan is supposed to host,” Yaqoob said.

“We have a load of events. Besides this year’s Asian Championship we have ahead Asian Games and Islamic Games next year and then the South Asian Games in 2023. We will keep the camp intact with some breaks and hopefully we will be able to build a strong side for all these events,” Yaqoob said.

“We had planned to host the National Championship from June 26 in Lahore but due to Covid restrictions we have decided to postpone it,” Yaqoob said.

Pakistan’s volleyball has some good players who have been playing in foreign leagues. Pakistan’s captain Aimal Khan, Murad Khan and Wasim Afridi are part of various foreign leagues in Asia. These leagues experience has brought in them maturity and this will also help Pakistan produce desired results in future events.

It’s the right time for our government to help in volleyball development. What we need is infrastructure. Liaquat Gymnasium needs improvement. It has been learnt that it is not able to host any volleyball camp. Hamidi Hall inside Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad is small. POA Wah has a good hall and that is why the federation has been utilising it for training its national squads. We should develop decent infrastructure in each and every province. This is the only way to improve the standard of volleyball. If we don’t have halls across the country we will play outdoor volleyball which will affect our overall game development.

73.alam@gmail.com