New JaVA president urges affiliates to think big
THE Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) has elected sports administrator Rudolph Speid to lead the organisation into the future.
Speid was elected unopposed at the JaVA AGM held at the office of the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) on Monday.
In outlining his short-to medium-term goals, Speid highlighted five areas of focus. He firstly charged the affiliates to unite behind a single mission to bring volleyball to a place where it competes with other sports for top sponsorship dollars.
Unity, he proposed, is an essential ingredient in good corporate governance. Secondly, Speid pointed to the importance of not only treating volleyball like a business in mindset, but also registering JaVA as a limited liability company to better position the association to do business with other organisations and to protect the administrators.
Expanding the reach and management locally by the establishment or revitalisation of parish associations was the third goal on which the newly-elected president expounded.
He made the point that until volleyball eventually expands into club and age-group competitions in all parishes in Jamaica, the sport will not attain the status of being a major sport. While recognising that the accomplishment of this goal would be gradual, Speid encouraged the affiliates to buy into the cause and to be aggressive in their efforts to help JaVA achieve it.
Speid is the immediate past president of the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA), having held that position for six years, following another six served as that organisation’s treasurer.