Volleyball Foundation
45 coaches benefit from the joint initiative in Assam
For the first time ever, Brahmaputra Volleyball League (BVL) held an FIVB Level 1 coaches
course for members of its community. The course, which was held from 4 to 8 May at
Guwahati in Assam state in India, was delivered in partnership with the FIVB Volleyball
Foundation.
The BVL, a certified Silver Level project of the Volleyball Foundation, is the largest
community league in one of India’s poorest states, Assam. Abhijit Bhattacharya, a former
captain of the India men’s national team, launched the league in 2020, and it has since
become on the of the largest community grassroots leagues in the world. Over 10,000
children across more than 140 villages are involved in the league, which has become
a catalyst for social change, and uniting and empowering diverse communities.
The FIVB Level 1 course is part of the Volleyball Foundation’s initiative to empower the
grassroots coaches of BVL. A total of 45 coaches benefited from the course, including 33
from the BVL and 12 non-BVL coaches from remote districts across India, all of whom had
previously volunteered with BVL . The course was conducted by former India national team
player and coach GE Seridharan, who is a certified FIVB instructor.
In addition to the FIVB Level 1 curriculum, participants were taken through specialised
additional sessions focused on Safeguarding and Sports Psychology.
Reflecting on the course, BVL founder Abhijit said;
“This is huge for them, it’s a great opportunity for them to be trained by a FIVB instructor. They will be experiencing something which they have never experienced before.
“It’s a huge honour for them to be recognised globally as FIVB Level 1 coaches. We expect that the level of participation and standard of BVL will go up. The coaches that come from outside Assam are going back with a positive mindset and they are planning to start something like BVL in their villages. I would like to thank FIVB Volleyball Foundation for conducting this course.”
Executive Director of the FIVB Volleyball Foundation, Elizaveta Bracht, stated;
“When you first begin your journey in volleyball as a child, a coach becomes one of the most influential people in your life. A coach can inspire, motivate, teach, and unlock your potential. It is an incredibly important responsibility to guide someone who is young and eager to learn.
“I am proud that the Foundation was able to organise this coaching course to empower our already passionate – and often volunteer – grassroots coaches. We aimed to equip them with more tools, knowledge, and confidence to support their work in communities and help young players grow and thrive in a safe, supportive environment.”
According to Priyanka Mahali, one of the coaches in attendance, the course will help her lay
a solid foundation for future volleyball stars of India.
“I am very happy and excited to be doing this course. I would like to thank FIVB Volleyball Foundation, BVL and Abhijit for this opportunity. I want to improve myself as a coach, serve the country and the 40 children that I train so that we can produce future players for India.”
BVL coaches Probin Munda and Alpana Nahardeka hailed the FIVB Level 1 course as an eye-
opener, adding that it will help them improve the quality of their training sessions moving
forward.
Alpana explained;
“This (FIVB Level 1) course is very important to me as it will help me to improve my team tactically and technically. With this new knowledge, I believe I can make my team much better.”
For Probin, who only learnt about volleyball during online classes conducted by Abhijit in the early years of BVL, becoming a FIVB Level 1 coach is a dream come true.
“This opportunity is a very big one for me and I think of myself as very lucky for receiving this opportunity from the BVL. As a non Volleyball player, getting this opportunity to do the FIVB Level 1 (coaches course) is a matter of pride for me and I feel very proud,” said Probin matter-of-factly.
