National Volleyball Game Player’s Salary Is 5 Thousand When Nepal and India played in the final of the Kava Women’s Nations League on Wednesday, there were as many spectators in the covered hall in Tripureshwar as there were outside.
Youth and Sports Minister Tejulal Chaudhary, Defense Minister Manveer Rai, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol, and other leaders were also present in the audience gallery. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was also ready to go, but he did not go at the last moment because he had an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers.
Volleyball is the national sport of Nepal, and, naturally, there is so much attraction when the final is played against arch-rival India. But volleyball is suffering from the tendency of the state to celebrate when it wins and ignore it completely at other times.
Even after 7 years since volleyball was declared a national sport (May 2074), there is still no good covered hall. Volleyball players have started getting a monthly salary of Rs 5,000 from last August. That too is not given by the government, by raising donations.
Government investment is important in the development of sports in any country. In all the best teams in the world, the government has invested well in the physical structure and players. In the case of Nepal, the players have played on their own strength and won titles/medals many times (Kava/Sag).
This time they did not win the title, but Nepal’s performance in the overall competition was strong. In the league, they beat India along with Bangladesh and Maldives. Nepal made history by beating India 3-2 in the league. Nepal defeated India for the first time in volleyball history.
In the league, they lost to Iran 3-2, but in the semi-finals, they won 3-0 in straight sets and reached the final. Nepal, who came close to victory against India in the final, could not cross the finish line. According to coach Jagdish Bhatt, he lost due to some weaknesses in service and receiving.
While India’s level is higher than Nepal’s. Volleyball players in resource-rich India earn a salary of 4.5 to 7 lakh rupees. They also get a bonus. Other service facilities are also much better in India than in Nepal.
No budget
Cricket, football, and volleyball are popular sports in Nepal. The International Cricket Council (ICC) provides nearly 24 million rupees annually to the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). The Asian Cricket Council gives a subsidy of Rs 7/8 crore annually.
ICC, ACC, and their own internal resources, the budget of cricket is around 500 million.
The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) also receives an annual subsidy of Rs 500 million from the World Football Federation (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). If regular competitions are held, the subsidy amount will also increase.
In 2024, Nepal is scheduled to get coaching staff and 100 balls from FIVB.
The annual budget of the association is 12/15 crores. This amount can be used for administrative expenses and competition planning. Chand says that they were not able to pay salaries to the national players. According to him, the players survived only because three departmental teams joined the Police, APF, and Tribhuvan Army Club. Otherwise, there is no way to last.
Sorrow of the Covered Hall
Volleyball is the only sport that can be played in 77 districts. But there isn’t a moving covered hall in the country.
The covered hall of the stadium was built by Rakhep. Not only volleyball but also indoor games such as basketball and badminton are played here. Therefore, the players do not even get to practice for twelve months. When there are other games in the covered hall, the volleyball players have to return after doing fitness training only.
If we had a capacity of 5,000, we would not have to ask the government for 10/15 lakhs. We could have raised some financial resources from the tickets,” says Chand, president of the volleyball association.
Last year, the union entered into an agreement with Rakhep to acquire land from Kageshwari Manohara municipality in Mulpani. There was talk about the land of Kageshwari Manohara Municipality-6, but after showing the land of Ward No. 4, the union did not agree. The volleyball association says that the place shown later is not suitable for building a covered hall.
Although volleyball is an indoor game, there is much more outdoors. When a player gets injured, his career ends. Many players cannot afford treatment. There is no mandatory tenor required by the player. Physio is also kept only for competitions.
Its Babujad women’s volleyball team won gold in Central Zone Women’s Volleyball in 2019 and 2021. In 2019, he was awarded silver on the 13th green. Despite the weak investment of the government, the level of the women’s volleyball team is constantly increasing.
One can easily imagine where Nepal’s women’s volleyball will reach with a well-equipped covered hall, regular training, good service facilities, and a secure future.
