Volleyball: Mercantile Championship 2018 get underway from September

In a bid to foster goodwill and comradeship as well as popularize the National Game among the mercantile fraternity of Sri Lanka, the Mercantile Volleyball Association (MVA) has confirmed the dates for the Mercantile Volleyball Tournament 2018.

Since it’s revival in 2012, with the participation of just fifty teams, this will be the seventh consecutive year that the tournament is being organised and the Organising Committee expects the participation of over 100 men and women’s teams in this year’s tournament. 

It is envisaged that this year’s tournament will be a highlight of the sporting calendar of the mercantile sector as well as of the national sporting calendar.

The tournament this year will be organized by an enthusiastic and energetic team led by President, Lakmal Jayasinghe (General Manager – Sales Metro & Region 2 of Sri Lanka Telecom) and an Executive Committee consisting of representatives of reputed companies in Sri Lanka.

The tournament will be held under the accepted national rules and regulations, providing an opportunity for both men and women to participate. 

Employees who have joined their respective organization before May 10, 2018 are eligible to participate. 

The preliminary matches of the Mercantile Volleyball Tournament 2018 are scheduled to be held at the Maharagama Youth Centre Court on September 1 and 2 , while the finals will be held on November 10 and 11 at the Indoor Stadium of the Maharagama Youth Centre.

The tournament will be held under three categories - Super League, Championship and Division ‘A’ with the total prize money exceeding One Million Rupees. 

Best Players (Men and Women) will receive a motorcycle each in addition to the trophies for winners, runners-up and the Best Player – male and female under the categories of Best Setter, Best Attacker and Best Player.

The awards to be distributed among the different categories will be as follows:

Super League:   

Male
First place:     Rs. 150,000 and trophy
Second place:     Rs. 100,000 and trophy
Third place:      Rs. 50,000 and trophy

Female 
First place:     Rs. 100,000 and trophy
Second place:     Rs. 50,000 and trophy
Third place:      Rs. 25,000 and trophy

Championship: 

Male
First place:     Rs. 100,000 and trophy
Second place:     Rs. 50,000 and trophy
Third place:      Rs. 25,000 and trophy

Female 
First place:     Rs. 80,000 and trophy
Second place:     Rs. 40,000 and trophy
Third place:      Rs. 25,000 and trophy

Division A:    

Male 
First place:     Rs. 30,000 and trophy
Second place:     Rs. 20,000 and trophy
Third place:      Rs. 10,000 and trophy

Female 
First place:     Rs. 30,000 and trophy
Second place:     Rs. 20,000 and trophy
Third place:      Rs. 10,000 and trophy

There will also be many other events to keep the spirit and excitement high during the preliminary rounds as well as during the finals, such as selection of the Lucky Team and the Best Coach.

Importantly, through this tournament, the Mercantile Volleyball Association seeks to provide a platform for budding volleyball players in the country to seek job opportunities and also aid them in the achievement of higher levels in the national game. 

It is noteworthy that the Mercantile Volleyball Tournament has so far produced four National Players and strives to continue the trend.  

Also, the MVA is planning to felicitate a number of veteran players at this years’ tournament and plans to continue the tradition going forward. 

The closing date for applications will be August 10. 

Further details can be obtained by calling 0710682682 (Chandana) or 0776485456 (Buddhi) or by 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.