In a bid to promote the national sport, the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation (SLVF) launched the inaugural under-23 Junior National Championship on Friday at a simple ceremony held at the BMICH.
President of the Federation Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and Senior Manager Marketing and Branding of Dialog Harsha Samaranayake attended the launch and Championship will be played for the ‘Dialog Axiata Junior Championship Trophy’.
Speaking on the occasion Siyambalapitiya thanked Dialog for being the main sponsor for all volleyball tournaments conducted by the Federation. This has helped to boost the standard of the game to new heights. In fact the Junior team that toured Myanmar recently came up with a fine performance and was placed among the top eight in the Asian region.
“With this achievement we are confident that by promoting volleyball at grass root level it will add more inspiration to bring in our young players to the national side,” said Siyambalapitiya.
“All this was possible with the hard work done by the officials of the Federation. I am sure that the introduction of a Championship of this nature will help young players from all parts of the country to come up with their best to reach higher standards and be selected to undergo training under the guidance of qualified coaches.”
The Junior Championship for boys and girls will have 1625 teams and they will compete in the first stage on a district basis which is set start on October 5. Applications for the district level will close on September 30. The winners and runners-up from these district matches will qualify to play the national Championship which is scheduled to get off in early November and the finals are expected to be conducted at the National Youth Services Council courts in mid December.
Applications should be forwarded to the Volleyball Federation on or before September 30 with copies with proof of their age below 23 years and also prove their residency in the district they represent.