NMIVA Vice President Gabriel C. White is attending on behalf of the CNMI. Click here for full details from FIVB regarding FIVB World Congress event details.

 

The FIVB makes exceptions and provide financial assistance for small and developing national federations to attend the World Congress. They want to provide a fair opportunity for all federations to have access to further development.

 

"We are so grateful to the FIVB," said Mili Saiki, "for providing us the opportunity to participate in the FIVB World Congress. Without their financial support of providing the airline tickets, food and accomodations, we cannot afford to participate. FIVB provided us the with financial assistance opportunities as they did with several small national federations. We are so very lucky that NMIVA was among those chosen to receive these benefits."

 

"I think it is our committment to seeing volleyball develop further in the CNMI and creating the foundation for NMIVA as the national federation that allowed FIVB to consider the CNMI for this opportunity. We have been working with FIVB's development department over these past two to three years seeking guidance on the best path for building a solid foundation for volleyball programs here in the CNMI. I am anxious to meet with and network with as many people as I can. The focus on this World Congress is development, which is righ in line with the objectives the NMIVA Board has been working on, so we are looking forward to promising results. Attenting the World Congress give the CNMI a face. It gives us a chance to say here we are, we are stepping up, please help us" said White.

 

In preparations for participation in the World Congress, the NMIVA Board prepared an agenda for White to pursue while in attendance. NMIVA's agenda for Rome focuses on national development guidance from FIVB and on identifying what types of grants the CNMI might qualify for with regards to overall federation, stakeholder, and program development. More specifically, NMIVA is looking at how to partner with FIVB's Tecnical Department to see what programs are available to help NMIVA and associated stakeholders with solidifying a master plan for volleyball development in the CNMI.

 

"For these past two years and going forward NMIVA's focus is on development. We want to know how FIVB can help us with more trainings. Trainings for our Board;  trainings for our community partners, teachers, and students. We want them to help us identify and lay down a strategic plan that is tailored to our unique environment; something we can growth with. The NMIVA Board and several stakeholders have discussed wanting to work to bring the volleyball community's focus into a single grand master plan; something that sets the CNMI's development course for the next 5-10-15-20 years. The idea is that everybody will work together to teach our youth the sport based on a "bigger picture";  and do so with a focus on sending competitors into the the international areana. We are not talking about this season or next season in a school or community league. We are talking about total committment. And, it's a lot of committment! And, it's a lot of buy-in, but there is no reason that we can't accomplish this if we all work together,"  shared NMIVA President, Laurie Peterka.

 

NMIVA is the CNMI's umbrella volleyball association covering all aspects of indoor and outdoor games and players. Our organization is a bona fide current member of FIVB, AVC, OZVF and NMASA. For more information about "all things volleyball in the CNMI" please visit www.nmivolleyball.org or email nmivolleyball@gmail.com.

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