AZERRAIL IS THE BEST… AGAIN

The season has ended prematurely for Azerbaijani volleyball players. The strongest club of the country was identified three rounds before the end of the national championship - the games of the ninth round revealed almost all the winners.

The matches held at the Darnagul Volleyball Centre determined the outcome of the tournament. Azerrail became the champion for the second time while Locomotive was the last after losing to AVF.

Interest in volleyball in Azerbaijan, which hosted the European Championship in 2017, is quite large, especially in women’s volleyball. One can hardly find tickets during the matches of the Euro Cup. It may sound paradoxical but unfortunately, there is a deficiency of strong teams in the national volleyball championship.

The games of the Super League of Azerbaijan were once considered one of the strongest competitions of the continent just two years ago. They would have the best players of Europe and the world. However, with a decrease in the number of clubs, most legionaries returned to their countries. Now only four clubs are represented in the national championship.

The national team of Azerbaijan suffered the biggest losses when the strong clubs turned into outsiders. After all, making a strong national team with only four clubs in the national championship is nonsense. Azerrail, Absheron, AVF, and Locomotive are important only for the national championship. They do not play any role in raising the level of the national team.

The main players of the national team of Azerbaijan keep their form and gain experience in foreign championships. The head coach of the national team, Faig Garayev, tries to keep the national team. In autumn, Azerbaijani volleyball players will take part in the World Championship for the fourth time. It is extremely important that before this prestigious competition the main players of the national team do not suffer from lack of practice.

Not every team has a chance to get qualified for the world championship. In fact, the composition of the national team has not undergone serious changes between the past and upcoming championship. Like ten years ago, Valeriya Mammadova will be our libero this autumn. In other words, there is no new generation of volleyball players. The clubs are focused on showing successful performances at European competitions in the shortest time. That is why the work in the national team has shifted to the side-lines.

The head coach of the women's volleyball team, Vice-President of the Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation Faig Garayev has always advocated for the instrumental role of domestic volleyball players in the national team. Legionnaires contribute to creating competition in the national championship but cannot help the national team.

Obviously, the current season that ended with the championship of Azerrail was the weakest one in the history of volleyball. There was neither competition nor struggle in it. We did not see any derby, which is a landmark event of any championship. The main reason was the disparity of forces between the clubs. We did not see bright players either. All these factors urge for serious reforms in the clubs.

There is also a deficit of local coaches. The clubs, which have long worked with foreign specialists, now prefer the local ones. Therefore, the players should gain more experience in order to start coaching after their playing career is over. But there is no enough players of this calibre in Azerbaijan. Therefore, sending young coaches to study abroad is the best way out in this situation.

To create competition in the national team, it is necessary to conduct country championships in several age categories. Along with club championships, it is also necessary to hold tournaments for 15- and 18-year-old players.

A number of innovations are expected in the national championship In the new season. It is likely that the number of teams increases and the regulations are changed. Apparently, there is no reason to expect great success in the new season of European cups. In this situation, our clubs will join competitions only to gain as much experience as possible.

Currently, the national team is focused mainly on the world championship planned for September 2018. According to Faig Garayev, the national team will hold a series of serious trainings before this prestigious competition. The national team is also planning to take part in three control games before the actual event.