Prisons’ bronze shows Kenyan clubs can conquer Africa, but let’s fix our league first

Once again, another edition of the African Clubs Championship has passed, and as expected, a North African club won the title.

Egyptian giants Al Ahly on Tuesday reclaimed the title on home soil with a perfect record of eight straight-set wins through the competition. The swagger with which they swept aside defending champions Mouloudia Sport de Bousalem 3-0 (25-21,25-17,25-18) in the final laid bare Al Ahly’s class. 

Following their win, Al Ahly will now represent Africa at this year’s FIVB Clubs World Championship in December.

Kenya Prisons, who had lost 3-0 to Mouloudia in the semi-finals, produced a remarkable comeback in the third-place playoff, rallying from a set down to stun Al Nasr of Libya 3-2 (23-25,25-19,25-17,18-25,15-13) and claim the bronze medal.

It was a welcome return to the competition for the Kenyan champions after a six-year absence. Prisons’ only other podium appearance was in the 2011 edition when they won a silver medal in Cairo.

A closer look at the top four teams will give you a clear picture of the quality of the leagues they play in. The Egyptian, Tunisian and Libyan leagues are among the top five leagues in Africa. And the rift in quality was palpable throughout the competition.  

Ahly’s first team was a blend of youth and experienced players who would easily fit in top European leagues. Led by the ageless duo of the star opposite Ahmed Salah and setter Abdallah Abdelsalam, Ahly boasts the finest Egyptian talent available. The veteran middle blocker Abdelhalim Ebo was in a class of his own during this tournament, and it’s no surprise that he made it to the Dream Team alongside Salah and Abdallah. Add outside hitters Abdelrahman Elhossiny, Ahmed Azab Mohamed Asran, and Ahly have the future of Egyptian volleyball in their hands. With middle blockers Abdelrahman Seoudy and Mohamed Othman on this list, you have a team capable of representing Egypt at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

But how has Al Ahly convinced the cream of Egyptian volleyball to remain home when they could easily ply their trade in foreign leagues and make more money? They’ve even attracted top foreign talent like Cuban libero Yonder Garcia and USA’s outside hitter Garrett Muagututia. 

Their financial muscle notwithstanding, the Egyptian league is well organised with a clear fixture that runs through the period stipulated under the FIVB calendar, October to May. In addition to the league, the Egyptian Volleyball Federation (EVBF) started two cup competitions, the Egyptian Cup and the Egyptian Super Cup, that ensure players are active throughout the season. That’s why a coach of international repute like Al Ahly’s Fernando Munoz would gladly leave his native Spain to coach in Egypt. 

Silver medallists Mouloudia have Kenyan international Simion Kipkorir on their roster for the second season running. After winning the African title last year with Mouloudia, Kipkorir had a lot of offers on his table but opted to remain with the Tunisian side for another season. And it’s partly because the Tunisian is not only well-organised but also competitive with clubs like Esperance, CS Sfaxien and Kelibia always in contention for the league title.  

Al Nasr has begun upsetting the status quo in the Libyan league, often challenging traditional winners Al Ahli Tripoli and Al Swehli for the title. Their outside hitter, Hector Alexis Cruz from the Dominican Republic, made it to the Dream Team, showing they can attract top talent to their league. 

Kenyan champions Prisons outdid themselves to win the bronze medal, given the sorry standards of our league back home. It’s a pity that as our competitors in Africa think about how to further professionalise and pump more money into their leagues, we’re still stuck with the aspect of playing indoors or outdoors. 

This season alone, the league has been played more outdoors than indoors, which is sad, to say the least. The general organisation of the league is still in shambles, with fixtures only made public a few days before the competition. It becomes extremely difficult to sell such a product to prospective sponsors since the basics aren’t right. 

Volleyball is an indoor sport. Therefore, playing the league indoors should be non-negotiable. By playing the league indoors, it opens up advertising space for prospective sponsors through courtside banners, the arena and even the floor itself. An indoor setting also makes it easier for a broadcast partner to come on board, which translates to more revenue in TV rights - the biggest revenue earner for leagues all over the world.
Secondly, the fixtures need to be streamlined in such a way that the league runs smoothly from October to May, as per the FIVB calendar.

A fixed calendar will not only allow clubs to plan and prepare well for their matches, but also enhance marketing ahead of the big derbies. Thirdly, we must change the format to include a home and away format, which will ensure players will be in competitive shape throughout the season. Having more match days also gives sponsors more visibility on mainstream and social media. 

The icing on the cake is the introduction of a domestic cup to complement the league matches and this can be opened up to self-supporting clubs, institutions and lower-tier clubs to give them a feel of playing against National League players. 

Having a professionally run league will not only help our clubs be competitive in the African Clubs Championship but also improve the welfare of our players, who can enjoy playing professional volleyball on home soil. 

Thirteen years have passed since 2011, and Prisons have again shown us that it’s possible to conquer Africa. Our amateur league is the missing piece in the jigsaw! Let’s fix it now, once and for all! 

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I’d like to wish our representatives in the women’s competition—Prisons, KCB and Kenya Pipeline—success in Cairo. Let’s bring the trophy back home! 

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