High cash awards to popularise Volleyball in mercantile sector

The Mercantile Volleyball Association of Sri Lanka is once again organising the Annual Mercantile Volleyball Tournament in a bid to popularise the national sport and widen interest in it in the mercantile sector.

Over 100 teams participated in last year’s tournament and the association hopes for a much larger response this year.

A member of the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation said this was the seventh successive year the association was holding the tournament since its revival in 2012 after a lapse of five years.

The key objective of the association was to provide a meaningful avenue for mercantile employees to be free of mental fatigue, whereby participating in sports could enhance their performance. Volleyball being a team sport helps to build team spirit among employees, thus benefitting the organisation they work for. The game also helps to unearth the hidden sporting talents of employees while helping them to improve their health. This year’s tournament will be held in September and November. It has now become a regular feature on the annual sports calendar of the mercantile sector. A number of well-known businesses and brands have joined in the excitement by coming forward as sponsors: Platinum Sponsor – MAS; Gold Sponsors – Sunquick, Lanka Tiles, Brandix, Expo Lanka Holdings Plc (EFI), Sri Lanka Telecom Plc and David Pieris Motor Company Ltd; Silver Sponsors – Damro and Omega Line.

The tournament is held under accepted national rules and regulations and provides an opportunity for both males and females to participate.

The preliminary rounds will be held at the Maharagama Youth Services Court on 1 and 2 September, while the finals will be held on 10 and 11 November at the Maharagama Youth Services Indoor Stadium.

To qualify for participation, players should have worked in their respective companies for a minimum of three months. Meanwhile, registrations are open to new clubs until 20 August.

The tournament will be held under three categories – Super League, Championship and Division ‘A’. Prize money for the winning teams will exceed Rs. 1.5 million, and the best players in the men’s and women’s categories will receive motorcycles and scooters respectively. Trophies will be awarded to the winners and runners-up as well as to the best male and female player.

The closing date for applications will be 20 August 2018. Further details can be obtained by calling 0710 682 682 (Chandana) or 0776485456 (Buddhi) or logging on to www.mva.lk or by e-mailing mvasrilanka@gmail.com.

Applications can be posted to the Mercantile Volleyball Association, No. 33, Torrington Place, Colombo 7 with the envelope marked ‘Mercantile Volleyball 2018’ on the top left-hand corner.