Calicut Heroes play Bengaluru Torpedoes.
“Kochi, show us the moves … the camera is coming to you.” The crowd at the Regional Sports Centre, where the final phase of the Rupee Prime Volleyball League (PVL) is underway, is all over the place. As the countdown to the crucial match between Kochi Blue Spikers and Mumbai Matters begins, strobe lights, disco music, giant screens, and a hyper emcee create an electric atmosphere.
Kochi is fast emerging as a preferred venue for hosting high-powered sporting events. Apart from the PVL, the city has hosted the inaugural Indian National Basketball League (INBL) 5×5 format and INBL 3×3 format and ISL season openers. “Kerala has a very strong sports culture and Kochi has a fantastic fan base for the sport,” says Baseline Ventures MD and PVL Founding Partner. “The infrastructure is good and the regional sports center is compact and efficient.”
Former volleyball player and Olympian C. Michel
A place to rest
Another reason is Kochi’s popularity as a holiday destination. “Sports are competitive and require full focus and hard work. So, players, coaches, team managers are all under pressure. Kochi is also a place to relax,” says Bald, adding that tourism, relaxation, A combination of Ayurveda and sports works wonders. According to him, the top management of the volleyball world and members of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), who are heading for the finals on March 5, are excited for God to come to his country. “They are eager to explore Kerala. The Bengaluru team opted for the houseboat experience to unwind.
Members of Team Chennai Blitz on a houseboat trip
“Kerala is the hot bed for volleyball in India. The best players come from here. Every league has a derby when two teams from the same state collide…it’s a living energy,” USA Volleyball said. Says player and current Bengaluru Torpedo coach David Lee, who played for the Kochi team in 2018, and for Kozhikode in 2012. Pankaj Sharma, who hails from Himachal Pradesh but captains the Bangalore team, told the audience. agrees. “They buy tickets and come,” he says. “Everybody knows the game.” Both David and Pankaj are enjoying Kerala food. Although for the former “these toddy, spicy clams And there was beef”, later mentions Prota of Kerala.
C. Michael, an Olympian and former American volleyball player, is impressed with the standards, the new shorter format and the city. “I have loved commentating every minute in this league. It is being organized professionally with physios, training facilities, good hotels. The players are central to it,” says Seay, who took part in “all the cheese preparations” to enjoy his visit to Fort Kochi. Another observer from England, Lewis Litt, said the new Agrees about the format that will “revolutionize the game.” “The format and the draft (selection process) make it a level playing field,” he says. A native of London, Levitt is familiar with Indian curries but has Enjoyed “variations” and found the backwaters “magical”.
Professional sports
Commentators – C. Michel, Levi Lett, Atesh Thakral, Manish Batavia and Sunil Taneja – on a boat trip to Alappuzha for the Prime Volleyball League, 2023 finals
From Tamil Nadu, Jerome Vineeth is an attacker with Calicut Heroes. He finds Kerala’s “volleyball craze” mind boggling. “They are crazy about volleyball,” he says, adding that 900 fans turned up for a match in Bengaluru when Calicut was playing. “They came from 700 kilometers away.” He mentioned the high TRPs and concurred that “Kerala is showing huge numbers.”
Despite all this, David feels that “an overall volleyball culture is missing” and that the “just attack” style is antiquated. But, he says, PVL has a role to play in showcasing Indian volleyball to the world.
Observer Atish Thakral
Through the hoops
Kochi also hosted the INBL and Rana Thaliath, Secretary, District Basketball Association, and coordinator of the INBL, recalls, “We hosted 196 teams with 750 players in the first edition (3X3 format). Coordinating their stay, practice sessions, schedules, matches etc. We organized it at Don Bosco in Venala and pooled our funds to make it a success. Smooth completion of the event was seen and Kochi in October 2022. was chosen to host the regular 5×5 format.
He also points out that Kochi, which has now developed a reputation for such events, cannot rest on just one regional sports centre. While the stadium has recently added sky courts for badminton, renovated all 20 rooms and redone the wooden playing surfaces at a cost of Rs 60 lakh, “we need more courts, playgrounds. And such facilities are needed. The upcoming stadium at CUSAT will help us host big and high profile events like PVL.
