Bustling market
According to regulations, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation will approve teams to register foreign players if they do not encounter transfer procedures issued by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
Preliminary statistics from the Vietnam Volleyball Federation show that 10 foreign players have been registered by teams to participate in the second phase of the 2024 National Volleyball Championship. The registered players are from Thailand, China, Croatia, Germany, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Türkiye.
For the first time, volleyball fans in Vietnam have the opportunity to witness foreign players from Kenya (player Sharon Chepchumba Kiprono, Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemicals team) or from Türkiye (player Yeliz Basa, Quang Ninh team) competing in the national volleyball tournament.
In some previous shares, General Secretary of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation - Mr. Le Tri Truong once said that each team has its own relationship with player brokers. Therefore, they have full autonomy to hire foreign players to strengthen. Vietnamese volleyball does not lack potential teams willing to spend large sums of money, but in return, the hired players must be commensurate.
If in the past, some Thai female players were always invited to play by football teams in Vietnam, now, the player market is expanding and at the same time, promoting and contacting brokers is not too difficult, so each team is completely proactive in finding suitable foreign players for themselves so as not to be constrained by anyone.
Who will shine?
This year, the national volleyball championship will be played in a round-robin format, then the rankings will be considered and the top teams will enter the semi-finals, while the teams with the lowest results will be relegated. There are 9 teams participating in the tournament, so each team will have to play 8 matches in the group stage.
At the end of phase 1 (April 2024), there were teams that played 5 matches and there were new teams that played 4 matches. The second phase of the season (starting on November 7 in Lao Cai) was identified by all 9 teams as the key moment to decide the championship as well as the relegation position.
Overall, the 10 foreign hitters that many women's teams have recruited for the second phase of the 2024 National Volleyball Championship are all famous players with experience in competition. It is clear that because many international tournaments or tournaments in China and Japan are taking place at the same time, and Thai hitters have contracts with foreign teams, Vietnamese teams cannot hire young players.
Most of the foreign players coming to Vietnam are over 30 years old. Even the hitter Jana Kulan (Azerbaijan, 37 years old) who had retired from competition for a year and switched to coaching was still invited to Vietnam by the Binh Phuoc School of Information Corps women's team. This hitter has good skills, but will definitely need time to get used to playing with Vietnamese players.
The criteria that teams use to hire foreign players is that due to the cost, they must find the best quality foreign players. For some teams that are in a position to find a chance to stay in the league such as Quang Ninh, Geleximco Thai Binh or even Vietinbank... then certainly foreign players are the ones who take the lead to avoid "carrying the team" for everyone.
The 2024 season is the last season that the Vietnam Volleyball Federation allows 9 women's teams to compete in the national championship. From 2025, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation will only allow 8 women's teams to compete in the national championship. Reducing the number of teams to 8 has put each team under significant pressure to avoid relegation.
In three weeks, the second phase of the 2024 National Volleyball Championship will officially begin. LPBank Ninh Binh (reigning national champion), Duc Giang Lao Cai Chemicals, VTV Binh Dien Long An, Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Information Corps, Vietinbank, Geleximco Thai Binh, Quang Ninh, Long Son Thanh Hoa Cement, and Hanoi are actively training and competing so that players can be most thoroughly prepared. Foreign players will complete the procedures to come to Vietnam after signing a contract.
The closest players will arrive in Vietnam early next week and they will only have two weeks to get acquainted with the tactics with their teammates in Vietnam. The National Volleyball Championship is the highest professional level. Not only foreign players, many domestic players see the tournament as an opportunity to show their best to achieve results and win glory for themselves.
For foreign players, once they receive a transfer fee, they must certainly fulfill their professional goals as committed in their contract with their home team.
