31 May, Kathmandu. Chandragiri New Diamond Volleyball Team is the team that has ruled Nepali women’s volleyball for 17 years. This team, which is a strong contender for the evergreen title and can keep even the departmental team under pressure, could not get the expected results in the eighth Prime Minister’s Cup NVA League this year.
With the arrival of new players, the management side also remained unstable, the results of New Diamond were pushed back. This time, New Diamond became fifth in the 6-team participating league behind 3 departmental teams and Everest Volleyball Club Butwal.
In recent years, the players of the New Diamond Volleyball Club dominated the national women’s volleyball team. Captain Aruna Shahi, Pratibha Mali, Salina Shrestha, the first school of volleyball for these players is New Diamond. Currently, Rima Kunwar, Pragati Nath are the players who have made their debut in the national team.
Coach Kumar Rai says that this time he also did not spend time in training and the management’s rush has affected the team’s results. ‘This time I didn’t have time to train the team. He says that if you see the work of the curved hall and the hostel yourself, the results this time did not come as expected.
Coach Rai is currently renting an entire house and using it as a hostel for the players. Currently, the club’s covered hall and hostel are being built at Chandragiri-13, Old Naikap. This chataro says that coach and manager Kumar Rai could not give time to NVA league training this time.
The players themselves spontaneously prepared for this league. “New players are coming, we have to manage those players, how to arrange expenses, cover hall and hostel construction, so we are lagging behind in this league,” said Rai.
A club on the shoulder of a new player
Currently of New Diamond. Apart from Valmika Acharya, Salina Shrestha, Rima Kunwar and Pratibha Mali, all the other players are new in the team. Setter Pragati Nath is also an experienced player.
As experienced players of the past have left for various reasons, the burden of protecting the reputation of the club has fallen on the shoulders of new players. Coach Rai says that the lack of experience of the new players and having to face strong competitors at once does not bring the expected results.
‘New players are replacing the old ones. The situation is that the old generation is handing over to the new one’, says Rai, ‘It’s just that the new generation has not been able to handle that responsibility.’
Lalita Nath, who is also an old player of New Diamond Club, is currently the assistant coach of the club. She says, ‘All the players in the team are at the same level. There was no match exposure. As a result, we missed the finish.’
Lalita finds many differences between the players of her time and today. She says, ‘There is a difference in skills between our generation and today’s children. The new generation has new passion, vigor and new knowledge.’
He believes that even though the current players have the ability, lack of experience and fear have affected the big game.
Coach Rai is satisfied with the performance of the players even though he did not get time this year. ‘I am satisfied with our game this shift. Played 5 sets with APF. We also played competitively with the Nepal Police and played 5 sets with the Army’, he says, ‘When there were Indian players with Everest, they couldn’t play because of fear.’
Another reason why players cannot stay in the club for a long time is the lack of monthly salary. The players of New Diamond who compete with the departmental team are mostly students studying at the school level.
Coach Rai manages their education and food expenses. ‘It is a civil club. All arrangements for the player’s school expenses, food and accommodation should be arranged here. As a result, there is a lot of tension in the team’, he says.
Coach Rai said that after the completion of the new covered hall and hostel work, they are planning to think about other facilities to be given to the players. Now the work of covered hall and hostel can be completed by August. After that, we are also planning the training and expenses of the players,” he said.
Coach Raye wants to restore the old reputation of New Diamond with new players after completing the work of the covered hall and hostel. “Current players are capable. Some new players are coming. “After all the managerial aspects are met, New Diamond will return to its old rhythm,” he told Online News.
