The country’s national game, volleyball boosts with Munchee, the brand of Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL) for the 13th consecutive year sponsoring the National Volleyball Championship organized by Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation (SLVF).
The official sponsorship was announced during a press conference at Taj Samudra in the presence of senior management of CBL and representatives of SLVF.
The championship will be held as Novices and Super League tournaments where it is divided under men’s and women’s categories. The tournaments expected to commence on October 16 providing an ideal platform for talented players across the island to showcase their skills. Entries will be closed on October 15.
Eight men’s and six women’s teams will clash with each other in the Super League tournament. Sri Lanka Army, SL Air Force, SL Navy, Ports Authority, SL Police, National Youth Services Council, Ceylon Electricity Board and Ocean Lanka competing for them men’s title while SL Army, SL Air Force, SL Navy, Ports Authority, Hidramani SC and Rathanapala SC – Maha Uswewa will take part in the women’s category. The Super League matches will be worked off from November 7 to 11 at the Volleyball House, Dadalle, Galle.
The novice matches will be held in two phases as District and National levels while the district level matches will be played from October 16 to November 14. The national level tournament will be worked off on November 21 and 22 in Galle.
Both Novices and Super League tournament grand finals are scheduled to be held at National Youth Services Council Indoor Stadium, Maharagama on November 28. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will grace the occasion as the chief guest.
SL Army carried away the Super League men’s title last year when they beat MAS Leisureline 3-1 while SL Air Force team clinched the women’s title beating SL Navy 3 nil in the final. Ocean Lanka, Biyagama beat Golden Tigers SC in the Novice men’s finals by 3-1 and Hirdramani – Kahathuduwa clinched the women’s title by defeating Rathanapala Sports Club, Maha Uswewa 3-1.
Despite the championship taking place in post-Covid 19 period, the spikers participating are keen to contest and the fans too eagerly awaiting to witness the action. The organizers expect over 2,000 teams for the National Volleyball Championship. Munchee in conjunction with this tournament will also support the conducting of coaching camps for coaches in all districts to provide further encouragement towards the sport.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament and President of Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation Ranjith Siyambalapitiya commented at the media briefing, “Munchee has readily come forward to strengthen the sport and this year marks the 13th consecutive year. Volleyball is among the popular sports played at the grass root level and has progressed immensely over the years. Before ten years we are at 112th position in the world out of 222 volleyball playing countries. In 2017 we climbed to 77th position gradually and now we are at 60th. In the Asian region we are in top ten countries out of 65. That is a great achievement and Munchee played a major role of that victory. We can go forward with our new Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa and also we received a fully equipped indoor facility in Galle within a month in a single round of negotiations. This tournament is a vital calendar event to feature talented players as well as create awareness among youth who would like to participate in the sport”.
“Munchee is committed in supporting sports. Our association with the Volleyball Federation spans over a decade. As we sponsor one of the most popular tournaments for this sport for the 13th year, we are proud to have supported in paving a platform for talented players to become champions and earn national recognition. Despite the challenging circumstances, I believe both players and fans are looking forward to this tournament,” the Director/Chief Executive Officer, Ceylon Biscuits Limited Nalin B. Karunaratne said.
