Veteran sports commentator Dr Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira is calling for further development of volleyball following the success of the Saint Lucia women’s and men’s national teams at the recently concluded 2024 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) Championships.
The women’s team repeated as champions of the competition, defeating Bermuda 3-0 (25-10, 25-22, 25-19) in the finals in Antigua & Barbuda. Meanwhile, the men’s team finished third in their competition, missing out on the finals.
While Perreira expressed jubilation and congratulations following the teams’ success, he highlighted several areas for further improvement.
Need for More Activity
“It’s important to know what plans are in place to keep them active. Is there a camp to be held, maybe weekend camps? Is there a possibility of any competition to be had here from one of the neighboring friendly islands to give them some actual matches under their belt before they leave Saint Lucia? The same thing will apply to the men and the national team whenever they are involved at that level.”
Development at the Club Level
“One of the things about a national team doing well [is that] it doesn’t automatically suggest that the game is growing, that the game is strong, and that the game is national. It would be good to ask how many male and female clubs we have. There’s a difference between clubs and teams. Clubs have a structure around them that includes non-players. Is there a Division Two existing, or can there be a Division Two? This would provide a feeder system, allowing for a promotion and relegation system where players can qualify to play in Division One.”
Enhancing the Game in Schools
“What about the games in schools? It’s a potential nursery. How strong is the game in schools? How many schools are playing? Now we have 16 districts in Saint Lucia. All districts play cricket. All districts play football. In how many of the districts is volleyball played? I would think that an application to the Olympic Committee by the Volleyball Association for a specific development program for volleyball in the districts at the grassroots level will create players for schools, players for clubs, and players for the national team, thereby widening the base in terms of numbers.”
Need for More Volleyball Infrastructure
“This game can be played on a hard court or an indoor court, but more facilities can be created, drawing more players to the game, especially in districts where volleyball is not yet established. We could even have volleyball played on grass—60 by 30 feet of grass. In the very early days of volleyball in the Caribbean, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago were outstanding, and they mainly played on sugar estate grass courts.”
Former Player Involvement in Training and Development
“Are former players involved as coaches, mentors, advisors, or as part of the executive? Think of Dennis Sinclair, Robert Joseph, Brian Louisy, and the former national coach, Florian Combie. Is there any training for officials? The game can’t run by itself. It needs officials to oversee the games. Is there any training in terms of what officials are, in fact, needed?”
Perreira is adamant that the time to advance volleyball’s development on the island is now.