Year 7&8 Schools Festival joined by around 120 students in Malta

On Thursday, April 20, around 120 students in Year 7&8 (12 and 13-year-olds) filled the Cottonera Sports Complex for a morning full of fun and new experiences for most of them in an activity run by the Malta Volleyball Association (MVA) in conjunction with the CEV School Project ‘Play Volleyball – Grow with it’.

Eight Middle Secondary schools participated in this year’s event, fielding as many as 28 teams in total. Six courts were set up and games were played 3v3 against time so that all teams could rotate. The teams were divided into four groups with seven teams in each. This gave the chance to all players to play as many games as possible. In this age group, teams could be formed by boys, girls or even mixed.

Although most of these students are not registered with any local club, the level of play was satisfactory, and this shows the good work of the PE teachers involved, both during Physical Education lessons and in many cases during break time where the students are given the chance to practice and play Volleyball. At Naxxar MS and Ta’ Paris MS, the students had gone through a programme of several weeks where they practiced Volleyball during their PE lessons as part of the CEV School Project.

The schools present on the day were SBC Kirkop MS, MRC Naxxar MS, STMS Zejtun MS, St Monica School Birkirkara, Savio College, St Paul’s Missionary College, St Michael School St Venera and STC Ta’ Paris B’Kara MS. For the latter two of them, it was their first ever participation in MVA events.

Moreover, for most of these players it was the first time to experience such emotions in representing their school on a volleyball court. The organisers hope that they carry their enthusiasm back to their schools and eventually in local volleyball clubs.