England, Namibia volleyball bodies sign MoU

The Namibian Volleyball Federation’s (NVF) efforts to take the sport to all regions of the country were boosted on Friday when it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with their English counterparts. The agreement, which was signed at the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC) office, will see the two bodies sharing their respective expertise over an extended period of time. Speaking at the press conference on Friday, England Volleyball CEO, Lisa Wainwright said that they are looking at ensuring that the relationship lasts for as long as possible. “There is no end date,” she said regarding the length of the MoU. “We are not looking for a marriage of one or two years but one that will last a long time, perhaps 10 or 15 or more years,” she said cheerfully. The agreement is part of the legacy programmes which came as a result of England hosting the 2012 Olympic Games. Wainwright said that they identified Namibia after seeing the professionalism and progressive nature of the NVF leadership. “We were delighted with the vision [of the NVF] and it was very easy to see that with some significant support would move the body forward,” she said. NVF president Joel Matheus, meanwhile, expressed gratitude at being chosen to receive assistance. “Thank you for believing in our initiative… I hope it bears positive fruits because we’ll use it to the benefit of Namibian volleyball,” he said. One of the benefits of the agreement has seen a donation of a volleyball floor being made to the NVF. The body’s vice-president, Heiko Kesselmann gushed over this gesture. “It looks like an Olympic Games floor and I’m sure that there are not too many like it in Southern Africa,” he said during the closing remarks of the press event. Wainwright, who initiated a similar programme in Zambia, and her party were due to leave for their native England today. HECTOR MAWONGA