School Project ignites Volleyball fever across Cyprus schools

Throughout this past month, the Cyprus Volleyball Federation organised a couple of visits to local schools to make sure their pupils know more about the Volleyball game and engage with it through the CEV School Project ‘Play Volleyball – Grow with it’.

The first such visit took place in Limassol on October 19 at Foley’s Private school. A local teacher is a former Volleyball legend of Anorthosis Famagusta who starred with the club a way back in the 70s before spending 20 long years in the USA coaching Volleyball – Jimmy Papapieris. Jimmy’s biggest success came in the 1976 edition of the World School Championships in the Netherlands, where the team representing Cyprus finished the competition in third place. He loves Volleyball very much and he still teaches it after so many years, enjoying making sure the kids develop the same passion and love for the game that he has cultivated since his own childhood.

After a previous visit to this same school last summer, a second followed in October with participation of some 80 young girls and boys – including some that with the help of Mr Papapieris have already registered to play for the Volleyball club AE Karava in the U18, U16 and U14 categories. Last week the U14 girls’ team gained their first ever victory in the youth national league, playing against Pafiakos Pafos – a victory happily celebrated at their school.  

After a theoretical session lasting for about 40 minutes and including a presentation of the Volleyball game with short, pre-selected videos showing action from top-class matches, plus key Volleyball skills, a practical session followed suit. The NF School Project Manager presented the school’s Sports Department with three Mikasa balls along and one net band.  

The second such visit came on the last day of October at the villages of Palodia and Paramytha in Limassol – with the action involving some 40 kids aged 10 and 11. The programme included three sessions, one theoretical and two practical ones. School Project coach Antonios Liotatis was present together with the NF School Project Manager, Mr Georgios Stefanidis, who delivered the theoretical session. Since the kids never saw Volleyball before in their lives, they obviously enjoyed the videos they were shown. Mr Liotatis was responsible for running the practical sessions - attended by the teachers from both schools as well as their headmasters. Both schools received a set of three Mikasa balls and one net band.