Kutlwano rake in P270 000 from 2015 league

Kutlwano Volleyball Club emerged the biggest winners from the 2015 Mascom Volleyball League awards last Thursday, amassing a total of P270 000 in prize money for both the league and the Top 8 championship.

They say their phenomenal success story for both the men and women teams this past season is attributable to more than just their prowess in tactical and technical skills on the field of play.

After almost sweeping all the stakes at the awards last week, Kutlwano have attributed part of their success to developing character in their players, which later translates to success on the court. 'We make sure that we instil a sense of humility and dignity in our players when they join the club,' revealed Kutlwano spokesperson Keamogetse Motse in an interview.

Motse said they focus on building character in their players so that they understand where they initially started when they reach greater heights in the game. 'Our teams usually consist of a mixture of both new and   experienced players, you would wonder why a seasoned player like Shadrack Kapeko is still playing.'

For winning the year-long league on both the men’s and women’s categories, the club made P200 000 from the first prize money of P100 000 per category. Moreover, Kutlwano men’s team walked away with P40 000 for winning the Mascom Volleyball Top 8 championship while their women made P30 000 from finishing as runners up in the Top 8 tournament.

However, this may have been the last league awards for the sport after Mascom announced before the event that they were pulling out from sponsoring the league – a development that is bound to adversely affect individual volleyball teams in the league.

Quizzed on how this move will affect her team, Motse said they have not received any communication about the issue from the BVF. 'We are very much aware of the announcement but I cannot comment any further as the BVF office has not said anything to us.'

Nevertheless, Motse said it would be tragic for teams if the sponsor pulls out of the league. 'Luckily, from our side we have a running sponsorship with a local insurance company, Exclusive. They have been sponsoring us since 2011. The sponsorship has been helping us with transport for players and buying equipment.'