ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) is all set to launch the first edition of its professional volleyball league by the end of this year, PVF chairman Chaudhry Yaqoob said in a statement on Monday.

“We have almost finalised plans for our very own professional league and it is expected to be launched in December this year,” Yaqoob told APP.

The chairman sounded optimistic about the participation of foreign players in the league, adding: “There will be six to eight teams in the league. Each team will have at least two foreign players.

“The league will see players participating from Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Sri Lanka and some other Asian nations. We are in touch with the players of these countries and they have expressed their willingness to play,” a confident chairman added.

Although he did not divulge the details regarding the financial aspects of the league, the chairman added that the players would get reasonable monetary benefits.

He said that the league should prove to be a landmark in the development of volleyball in the country as it will be a great platform for country’s young players.

“It will be for the very first time that a large number of our youngsters will be playing in an active league with some of the best players in the world. This will hone their talent and help us develop a strong national outfit,” the PVF chief maintained.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2016