The Gambia
Armed Forces (GAF) female volleyball team have emerged champions of the
National Inter-departmental Sports Association (NISA) female volleyball
tournament after defeating the National Drugs Enforcement Agency 3-0 in the
final.
The one-day tournament was played on Saturday at the Fire and Rescue Services ground in Churchill’s Town.
The teams which took part in the tournament were Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), National Drugs Enforcement Agency (NDEA), Gamtel/Gamcel, and Fire and Rescue Services.
Gamtel/Gamcel came third, while Fire and Rescue Services were only good for the fourth position.
Corporal Lamin F. Badgie, head coach of GAF female volleyball team, described the victory as nothing surprising considering the training the team is undergoing.
“I congratulate my girls for the good performance, and all we are doing is to maintain this performance because our motto is ‘train hard and fight easy’,” the delighted coach told reporters.
He finally thanked NISA executive for the tournament, while appealing to them to keep up the momentum.
For his part, Paul Gomez, head coach of NDEA female volleyball team, admitted that GAF were the better side in the final, actualized by the fact that his players were not training together.
For his part, Saikou B. Jarju, secretary general of NISA, said: “My impression is great for the fact that the final went very well. The purpose of this tournament is to have the winners prepare for Senegal because that is the arrangement we are making.”
With only four departments turning up out of the nine expected, SG Jarju said the turnout was a bit disappointing, but he was of the belief that this was the beginning and hoped to realise a good turnout next year.
“We want to encourage all departments, institutions, and companies to form their different female volleyball teams,” he said, adding: “We are now trying to give chance to the women as far as NISA is concerned.”
According to him, NISA will introduce athletics as a fix calender in the NISA programmes along side volleyball and football, saying they would like to also introduce basketball.
Dilating on the next month sub-regional multi-disciplinary competition in Dakar, Jarju said their role in that competition shows that NISA is growing.
The competition is meant for all establishments providing services, if registered. “We have written to 32 institutions to send us two athletes in different disciplines where they will be competing with their counterparts from Nigeria, Guinea, Mali and Senegal.”
He encourages all institutions to look inward and see NISA as theirs, saying NISA is working for the institutions, hence all should endeavour to participate in its activities.
Sulayman Badgie (Uncle Saul), Public Relations Officer (PRO) of NISA, thanked all the departments that took part in the tournament, reassuring them that NISA would continue to organise similar tournaments.
He again urged all departments and institutions to register for the sub-regional competition to be held in Dakar, Senegal, from 25 to 27 October.
