Former pro Maiyo wants State to support men's national team

Former Wafalme Stars' captain Philip Maiyo wants the government and the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) to support the national men’s team to emulate their women counterparts and fight depression among players.

Maiyo, who guided the national team to the 2011 All Africa Games bronze medal in Maputo, Mozambique, said for a team to succeed at the international level, it needs proper preparation through training.

“Wafalme has very good players but there is something we need to do as a country and a federation.

"We need to have a good transition of young players into the senior team. We need age groups to feed the national team the way European nations do to help in the transition,” said Maiyo.

With the recent performance where the national team failed to secure a ticket for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Maiyo said the current team has the best players ever but they have limited time to train.

“I’m urging the government to collaborate with the federation to revamp the players training. A team needs a minimum of four to six months of training to win championships unlike now. Currently, the team trains for a maximum of two weeks and that is not enough,” he said.

With many players sunk in depression, Maiyo said Kenyan players are not fully professional like the majority in Europe, where he played for over 15 years.

“As a player, you can't play on an empty stomach. You need something. You can't train for six hours without anything to eat, it is dangerous! In Kenya, many players once they finish secondary school, want to secure a job first and then play unlike in Europe,” he said.

He said life is very difficult for a player who has no job and a player who is doing very well in training but he is not being given a chance to play.

“There is good money in sports, which if not well utilized can drive someone into depression. You get such money at once but if you are not careful, you may land in depression because once the money is finished and you haven't done anything, it becomes a challenge,” he said.

Another cause of depression is when a player is not earning yet he is playing.

“I want to tell the federation and clubs to help these people because they are going through hell,” he said. Maiyo said the African Games bronze medal in Maputo is still the biggest achievement by Wafalme to date. 

“2011 was a good year because I was the captain of Wafalme Stars because we won the first and last medal for the country.  I was very proud to have led the team,” he said.