Welcome
Hello all !!!
Summer is over at last. The volleyball season has now started in
earnest, and again it promises to be an exciting one.
1st Division
In the men's league, the national title will be contested by
defending champions Pembroke, last year's runners up
Saint Aloysius, A.S. Kerygma, and newly promoted Fleur De Lys.
The start of the season saw Fleur De Lys drop one of their teams
from the league, thus reducing the number of teams to 4. The main
contenders this year seem to be yet again Pembroke, with SAC
being the only team who, on paper, could offer some resistance.
the other two teams are still an unknown quantity, but their future
will probably lie with the results from their direct encounters.
In the female league, the teams participating will be champions
Pembroke, University, A.S. Kerygma and Playvolley. The structure of
the teams has changed immensely due to the dissolution of Hibs.
Regardless of this, Pembroke still seem to have a slight edge over
their main opponents University. Kerygma and Playvolley seem to
be destined to fight for relegation, with the latter the most
likely candidate to make a quick return to the lower leagues.
2nd Division
Some people have said in recent years that the men's second
division league is the most exciting on in the country.
Uncertainty is the name of the game here, with Blockers Proactive,
A.S. Kerygma, Saint Aloysius, San Anton and Blockers all fighting
it out for promotion. The cinderella of the group seems to be the
2nd blockers team, but we don't think writing them off at such
an early stage would be a good idea.
In the Ladies' 2nd division clear favourites are Ace Diadora,
with no less than 7 national team players in their ranks.
The race for the second place, on the other hand, should be
something very interesting to see. Fleur De Lys, Flyers, Mgarr
and SAC, and to a lesser extent Depiro, all want to do well and
avoid the nightmare of playing in a third division next year.
Junior Leagues
The junior leagues, especially the women's leagues, are all very
difficult to predict. In the Under 19 men, Fleur De Lys, SAC,
ASK and San Anton are expected to fight it out to the end, with
Blockers' very young team expected to improve during the season.
In the women's league, the dissolution of Hibs (champions for the
last three years) has left a voind at the top which all the teams
would like to fill. SAC, Fleur De Lys, ASK, University, Pembroke,
Flyers and Playvolley are the participating teams. Predictions ??
We'd rather wait and see.
The Under 16 men's league seems to be a 2 horse race between SAC
Fleur De Lys, although ASK are still an unknown quantity.
San Anton too are a virtually unknown side at this moment.
In the female section, Last year's defending champions Fleur De Lys
seem to be favourites, but teams like SAC, San Anton and ASK seem
to be in a position to mount a very valid challenge. Flyers and
Playvolley, playing for the first time in the youth leagues, are
both fielding teams with beginners, but one never knows what to
expect from these teams full of enthusiasm.
New Rules
For anyone who had stopped following volleyball, watching a game
today could represent something of a shock. the changes are too
many to mention here, but things like the Libero, new scoring system,
stricter disciplinary actions and the new service rules have brought
about a drastic change to the sport. We suggest you go to the
official homepage of FIVB and
download a copy of the new rules. And do not forget to have a look
at the new MVA disiplinary code (nicknamed by some people 'Shut Up
and Play'). To some it might seem to harsh. We, on our part, welcome
it and support it to the full.
That's enough for now. Goodluck to all the clubs and players. To the
others, have a look at the Fixtures
section and come and visit us at Corradino.
Oh, before i forget, thank you to Stefan Decelis for the special
message on his homepage. I'm glad to know you think second place is
not bad, it could spare you some disappointment come April :-)
We urge you to visit his homepage - Volleyball In Malta
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