Pipeline, Prisons opt for fresh blood

Kenya’s top volleyball clubs Kenya Prisons men and Kenya Pipeline women have shut doors for rival clubs’ players who may be aiming to join them ahead of next season.

The two clubs will instead recruit fresh players from schools during the transfer window.

According to Kenya prison’s men head coach, David Lung’aho, it is easier for fresh players to adopt to the club’s playing style and its traditions than a ‘poached’ talent from a rival club.

“When you sign a new player from another club, it will take time for him to settle in the club and I always prefer fresh blood from school because they are young and eager to learn. Nurturing and mentoring a talent from a young age is the best thing,” Lung’aho noted.

Speaking to Citizen Digital at the Kasarani Indoor Arena during the training ahead of the 2018 KVF title playoff, Lungaho, coach of the 2017 runners up in the men’s Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) league, Kenya Prisons, said he has already spotted three promising players who will be joining the club next season.

The veteran coach also said that he has no plans of releasing any of their players this season, adding that he is confident of bagging this year’s KVF title.

“I am not releasing any player. We have been second for a while but this time we are going to lift the trophy,”he charged.

His counterpart, Japheth Munala, Kenya pipeline’s women head coach, shared similar views on player recruitment.

“I have two players who have been training with us for a while although we have not entered in any contract with them… their time has come. We also have two new players who will be joining us from school,” averred Munala.

The experienced Pipeline boss will be looking to defend the women’s title, which will stretch their record to five wins.

Munala’s heroics in the league have mainly been fueled by experience fro m key players like Janet Wanja and captain Trizzah Atuka.

The other three teams that will square it out with Pipeline in the playoffs are arch-rivals  Prisons, KCB and Bungoma County Club while in the men’s play-offs, Prisons will battle it out with defending champions, General Service Unit (GSU), Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).

The play-offs are set to serve off from November 30 – December 2 at Kasarani Indoor Arena.