Volleyball Foundation
As the FIVB Volleyball Foundation marks its first anniversary, it sits down with the founder (Abhijit Bhattacharya) of one of the first projects it supported: the Brahmaputra Volleyball League (BVL). Bhattacharya reflected on the BVL’s journey and the Foundation’s support over the past year.
Set in Assam – one of India’s poorest states – the BVL is now the largest community volleyball league in the region, and one of the biggest of its kind globally. The league reaches over 4,000 children across 144 villages, providing structured sport, local engagement and a platform for young people to develop both on and off the court. The league has become a powerful example of how volleyball can inspire and transform lives.
- What does it mean to you that your project was one of the two pilot projects supported by the Volleyball Foundation?
Ans: Five years ago, when we first started the BVL project, our only intention was to provide a platform to the children in the local communities who love to play volleyball. There were no funds and no resources, it was just the willingness and courage of a handful of former volleyball players in Assam who wanted to give back to the game they loved most. Never in our wildest dreams, did we think that our passion project could one day become one of the first two projects of the world to be recognised by the FIVB Volleyball Foundation. This recognition means everything to us; it has given us hope, respect and above all, it has emboldened our belief and our motivation to continue to have a positive impact through volleyball.
- What kind of impact has the Foundation’s support had on the lives of people involved in your project so far?
Ans: Now that the FIVB Level 1 course has successfully concluded and those 45 participants have been empowered with their Level 1 coaching certificate, I hope that more and more people are going to join our community to play volleyball in the coming months. Secondly, the Foundations commitment to support the BVL has raised the confidence of BVL coaches significantly. And since coaches from other states were also included as trainees of the recently concluded FIVB level 1 course, the geographical boundary of BVL is being extended to more than 10 new states in India. Additionally, the recognition of our league as a silver level project for the Foundation has brought more credibility to the BVL and is helping us to open new doors for local fundraising.
- What kind of impact has your project had on the Assam community since you started getting VF support?
Ans: Since receiving the Foundation’s support, our project has made a tangible impact on the Assam community by significantly increasing participation in volleyball across several villages. The certified coaches and seven master trainers have already conducted training sessions and community events in multiple locations. This has not only enhanced local interest in volleyball, but we’ve seen improved physical fitness among children and greater community engagement and unity.
- If you could describe your collaboration with the Volleyball Foundation in one word, what would it be and why?
Ans: Historic! We are honoured to be one of the first grassroots community projects supported by the global governing body of volleyball.
- What advice would you give to other project leaders hoping to start similar initiatives and get support from VF?
Ans: If your objectives and intentions are to honestly promote volleyball and if you continue to work in that direction with commitment, and you have a great mission, the Foundation can really help.
- Where do you see your project in the short term and long-term future now that VF is supporting you?
Ans: In the short term, I see the project reaching out to more villages and volleyball becoming an even greater active tool in building character and improving the health of the children across Assam, and hopefully further. In the long term, I see the project hopefully becoming a model for empowering and inspiring people to play volleyball across the globe.
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