Building strong team without money not possible, says volleyball captain

KARACHI: Pakistan volleyball team captain and professional player Aimal Khan has said that unless money is put into the sport and players’ financial status is improved, building a strong national team is not possible.

“It’s the age of money and unless it is brought into volleyball it is not possible to raise a strong national side or create a healthy volleyball culture in the country,” Aimal told ‘The News’ in an interview.

Aimal has been playing professional leagues around Asia for the last few years. His recent stint was with Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima which won Thailand League 2021 finals a few days ago.

He said that Pakistan players are very poor. “Our players’ financial condition is very bad. You know unless they are paid decently nothing can change. Even our departments offer Rs40,000 salary to their players. If you have two school-going children how will you manage your budget with salary? It is impossible,” Aimal said.

“We have no league but in the National Championship too players don’t get anything. How will youngsters get motivated if the country’s top players are not offered anything substantial to live a respected life?” said the spiker, who last year topped the Thailand League with his superb display.

He urged the state and Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) to help the players financially on a constant basis during their careers so that they could focus solely on their game. “It would eventually benefit Pakistan at the end of the day,” Aimal said.

He disclosed that Pakistan national team players cannot afford even to purchase their shoes. “A pair of shoes comes at 200 dollars and our players have to request the federation to purchase shoes for them ahead of any international tour because they cannot afford them. If players are financially strong then they maintain their fitness by having good nutrition and meet the demands of their gear and other requirements,” Aimal said.

Referring to foreign leagues, he said that Qatar, the UAE and Thailand have strong professional cultures which encourage the players to adopt volleyball as a profession. “Both Qatar and the UAE have no big existence in Asia’s volleyball rankings but they hold strong leagues and clubs offer big money to their players and their youth try to come to volleyball because of the charm they have created,” Aimal said.

“In Thailand a weak club we saw recently with no presence of foreign players but their players’ work ethics and professional approach was outstanding. If you create a healthy financial environment the players try to keep themselves fit,” Aimal said.

He urged the PVF to hold an international event once the Covid situation comes under control. “We last had an international event here way back in 2009. It’s time to organise an international event to rekindle the hopes of youth and motivate them,” he said.

Aimal said that in villages volleyball events are being held but it is not an ideal platform for the country’s top players and pros. “It needs a lot of energy to go a long way for featuring in a local event for a few thousand rupees. It also requires a lot of energy and power from your side. What players of mainstream need is a professional league with decent money so that they could develop themselves as players and also support their families,” Aimal said.