Kenya Prisons players and technical bench members in Tunisia/PHOTO-Courtesy
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 4 – Four Kenyan teams participating in the 2017 Confederation of Africa Volleyball men’s and women’s Club Championship have until end of next month to confirm their entry to the event to be hosted in Tunisia between March and April.
Kenya will be represented by Kenya Prisons men and women teams, General Service Unit and Kenya Pipeline women’s team.
With teams from the southern conference having expressed interest to take part in the games, the number of participants is expected to go slightly above a record 42 who took part in the last edition.
As such, CAVB has opened the entry on first come-first serve. This means that Kenyan representatives will have to submit their entry early enough to avoid being blocked from the event.
Five-time women’s champions Kenya Prisons will have a shot at their first continental title in four year as they seek to return to the top of Africa club volleyball they once dominated.
Prisons ruled the continental stage, winning the cup five times including four in a row but their dominance has dwindled in the past three editions where they failed to reach the final.
Kenya men’s Prisons team celebrating after qualifying in the KVF playoffs semis in Mombasa.
Kenya’s dominance at this stage has weaned in the last three editions where Pipeline lost at the semis in 2015 and final in 2016 but this edition could be time for the local clubs to turn the tables.
The women’s event will be hosted in the city of Kelibia in April while Tunis will host the opening stage of the men’s competition in April.
Kenya Volleyball Federation men’s national league champions Kenya Prisons and runners up, General Service Unit will carry the country flag in the men competition. CAVB is yet to announce specific dates for both tournaments.
Winners of the continental cup will represent Africa at the World Club Cup championship later in the year. Despite dominating the local scene in the past three seasons and continental stage in the past decade, Pipeline has never boarded the plane to the world arena.
The Club Championships is considered one of the most attractive club volleyball tournaments in Africa attracting best clubs from across the continent.
Due to the high number of teams expected to grace the event, CAVB will only accept entries on first come-first serve basis with deadline for submission of entry set for February 28.
Last year, the women’s entry attracted 18 clubs while 24 male clubs graced the competition in Cairo, Egypt.
