WHILE volleyball may not be as popular as other sporting disciplines on the island, the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) is still determined to ramp up its promotion efforts for the sport this year.

Speaking to the Jamaica Observer sports club forum recently, JaVA President Steve Brown, said the main focus is to get the sport more recognised.

“Volleyball is a challenging sport and we are not getting enough mileage, so our plan is to put the sport out there to everyone. So we are going to send out press releases and call the media in our process to get it out there,” he said.

Effective promotion and sponsors’ support are important elements to the sport’s success, Brown conceded.

“I have been talking to the president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), and there is going to be a T20 (Twenty20) match at Sabina Park, so between breaks, we will set up the net and have the players play a game of volleyball so that people

can identify the players, while being exposed more to the sport,” said Brown, who is a deputy super-intendent of police.

A major objective of the administration is to introduce beach volleyball into the school system, the volleyball head outlined.

“I have been talking to JTB (Jamaica Tourist Board) and other companies as well to get them involved in beach volleyball because that is what attracts the fans,” he said.

The captain of the senior men’s national team, Dellan Brown, no relation to Steve, is equally excited by the prospects of beach volleyball because it is seen as being more viable than court volleyball.

“I think that the introduction of beach volleyball is a very good idea. It is cheaper than on court volleyball because all you would need is sand and a net. It wouldn’t be an issue moving forward because we have sand everywhere in Jamaica and so I think it is an excellent idea,” the player explained.