A US$35,000 synthetic indoor and outdoor floor, technical support, six scholarships and taxes on betting and alcohol and tobacco to fund sports featured in the message of the president of North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) to Jamaica Monday night at Talk of the Town, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

The regional volleyball boss Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz of the Dominican Republic confirmed NORCECA’s assistance in guaranteeing half of the airfare of Jamaica’s beach volleyball dream team of Mark Lewis and Dany Wilson to circuit competitions.

The minister of sport in the Dominican Republic from 1986-1996, Hoffiz noted that both Jamaica’s male and female beach volleyball teams will take part in this year’s Central American and Caribbean Championship from July 16-30 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

He referred to Lewis and Wilson as “unpolished diamonds”, using natural talent without training and proper technique to keep on track for the 2012 Olympic Games.

On the synthetic floor, the NORCECA boss told the Major Warrenton Dixon-led Jamaica Volleyball Associaton (JAVA) that “with a flat surface… and that terrain belongs to them, we’re ready to provide a US$35,000 synthetic outdoor-indoor floor. This is not a promise, this is in the warehouse waiting for Major Dixon to say ‘everything is ready’.

“Make sure the terrain is well prepared; all the documents are in order. We will sign the agreement and the court is provided immediately,” the NORCECA president emphasised.

Citing a local match with players displaying poor skills, Hoffiz called upon the locals to take advantage of technical support provided by NORCECA.

He said the regional governing body would send a high-performance international coach for one month, with JAVA providing only accomodation and transport, to develop a programme for youth, junior and senior players for a sport continually changing in rules, play and tactics.

Hoffiz noted the coach would return periodically to assess the development of the programme from which future stars would emerge.

The Dominican, who is also the first executive vice-president of FIVB (International Volleyball Federation), noted that equipment assistance for NORCECA rose from US$3,000 to US$8,000 a year, which he advised associations to give to public schools.

He announced that NORCECA would provide six technical scholarships for the Caribbean on beach volleyball information systems; coaches courses levels one, two and three; school teachers’ courses; development courses; and scholarship for female referees; and international candidature referees.

On sports funding, the NORCECA head, who revealed his involvment in Dominican Republic politics, noted that in addition to seven per cent of the lottery money that the Sports Development Foundation received for sports, Jamaica could consider taxes on alcohol and tobacco, and on betting for JAVA to increase their $3.6m subvention.

Meanwhile, the sports minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, who spoke earlier, gave the government’s commitment to local volleyball. She encouraged Lewis and Wilson to reach for greater heights and take Jamaica and the Caribbean to the world.

Local boss Major Dixon, who noted that “volleyball is second only to soccer in terms of popularity as a team sport”, stressed that the sport be treated “not just as a recreational activity but as a business”.

He added: “Despite this worldwide popularity of both indoor and beach forms of the game, Jamaica has not harvested its immense potential for growth locally. Financial and administrative challenges have dwarfed the transformation of this potential into profit.

However, Major Dixon believed that “over the years national volleyball teams have shown that they have the basic skill sets to compete within the Caribbean, but have not been able to convert that competitivness to dominance in the region”.

Also speaking Monday night was vice-president in charge of the Caribbean, Trinidadian Mushtaque Mohammed, who said the Jamaican dream team was also representing the Caribbean and believed that it would qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

Meanwhile, Lewis and Wilson will be heading to the Cayman Islands for the March 17-22 circuit, with the female beach volleyball team of Cheryl Daley and Cherine Richards hoping to get similar support of their male compatriots.