The Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA – one of the four zonal associations within NORCECA) held its biennial General Assembly on February 14 and 15 with the participation of all 14 national federations.

The opening ceremony was held in the presence of Mrs. Heather Samuel, Minister of Sports of Antigua & Barbuda, who congratulated the NORCECA Confederation on the development of volleyball and beach volleyball in the region in recent years.

The representatives of the national federations welcomed the participation of Saba Volleyball Association as an active member that will be joining the zonal competitions for the first time in 2014.

ECVA, one of the four zones within NORCECA, comprises the National Volleyball Federations of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Dutch St Martin, French St Martin, Grenada, Montserrat, Saba, St Eustatius, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and Grenadines.

The General Assembly, chaired by NORCECA’s President Cristobal Marte Hoffiz and ECVA President Glenn Quinlan, allowed for a dynamic exchange of ideas among the members who discussed all items related to the development plan of the Confederation concerning ECVA.

The assembly highlighted the success and impact of the qualification to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, which allowed the teams of St Vincent and Grenadines (boys) and St Lucia (girls) to realise their Olympic dreams.

Mr Marte Hoffiz made several reports on the presidency’s annual activities, the qualification process to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and provided updates on the progress towards the FIVB Volleyball World Championships in Poland and Italy.

He also expressed his gratitude for the support received from FIVB and its President Dr Ary S. Graça F° and discussed the new initiatives started worldwide to enhance the development of volleyball and beach volleyball.

During the two-day meetings it was decided that permanent technical assistance to the ECVA National Federations will be provided by itinerant coaches Ramón –Monchito- Hernandez of Puerto Rico and Joao Campos Morales of Brazil, as supervisors.

It was also discussed the financial investments made by NORCECA in the ECVA Development Plan which totaled over US$270,000 that covered the areas of sport equipment distribution, assistance to the youth and junior programs, participation in beach volley tournaments, seminars and courses for coaches, referees and physical education teachers.

Also, the NORCECA investments in FIVB World Championship Qualification Tournaments with a total amount of US$ 196,143 as well as the distribution of Sport Court Volleyball surfaces with an investment of more than US$ 275,000 since 2010 was included in the report.

The National Federations recipients of Sport Court volleyball surfaces since 2010 in are: St Vincent and Grenadines, St Lucia, Dominica, British Virgin Islands, French St Martin, Grenada, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda and Anguilla.