The Cambodian national volleyball team celebrate their defeat of the Thai national side on May 7, 2023. Hong Menea
Cambodia’s historic Volleyball wins at the 32nd SEA Games 2023 have not only led to a new appreciation for the threat posed by the Kingdom’s athletes, but also seen several promising players depart for foreign courts, sometimes with large sums changing hands.
The bronze medals claimed at the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam and the silver and gold captured at the May 2023 games in Phnom Penh were the best results the Kingdom had seen for more than 40 years, cementing the Cambodian Volleyball Federation’s (CVF) reputation as talent spotters.
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Formerly regarded as the region’s easy beats, the ASEAN member nations expressed their admiration for Cambodia’s rapid development of the game in the past few years.
At the same time, large volleyball clubs in several countries began to seek out opportunities to sign Cambodian players.
The most high profile case was that of 193cm (6’4”) outside hitter Voeun Veasna. Immediately after steering the Cambodian national side to bronze at the 31st SEA Games, he was borrowed from the Visakha volleyball club by Vietnam’s Long An club.
Large international contracts
The $20,000 transfer fee was the highest in the sport’s history in Cambodia.
Originally from Battambang province, Veasna now plays in the League of Taiwan, with the Win Streak Club, who purportedly paid a transfer fee of over $100,000.
His fellow Visakha player Kuon Mom has just completed a contract with the Long An club.
However, the VFC believes this is only the beginning. Under the leadership of Minister of Interior Sar Sokha, the federation has organised a new competition, the “Techo Volleyball Cambodia League”.
The huge prize money on offer – and the presence of tough international competitors – is expected to draw more viewers to the domestic game, thus increasing the chances of Cambodians being recognised, and plucked away to play on the international stage.
“The Techo Volleyball Cambodia League is a historic event in the growth of volleyball in Cambodia. Since the establishment of the federation, we have only held competitions at the cup level. This professional league was established according to the wishes of the federation leadership,” said VFC secretary-general Aing Serey Piseth, during a December launch event for the new competition.
“The federation wanted to establish a league which will be recognised by the International Volleyball Federation and the Asian Volleyball Confederation. The benefits to our sport of an internationally-recognised competition will be innumerable,” he added.
Aside from the experience gained in the league, it will also provide a chance for professional Cambodian clubs to play at international events, organised by the volleyball federations of ASEAN and Asia. Through these matches, more of the Kingdom’s players are likely to be offered overseas contracts.
“The establishment of this league will create more markets for our players,” said Sery Piseth.
“Each club can swap, buy or borrow players with one another, and each of the contracts will go through the VFC, avoiding conflicts of interest, which have arisen in the past,” he added.
New league format
Eight clubs were selected for the Techo League, which began the first three-day round on January 12.
The top six clubs
Visakha, the Bodyguard Command, the Sihanoukvill Volleyball Club and the Ministry of Interior topped the table, and will do through to round two, along with the Unit 3 of the Intervention Division and the Phnom Penh Police club.
The Pursat and Kandal provincial police clubs were eliminated.
The national team (in white) on their way to upsetting Thailand’s men’s team at the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh on May 7 last year.Hong Menea
Each of the eight clubs registered their players with the International Volleyball Federation, making it easier to send players abroad. The players now have the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in the Techo League, earning the chance to attract the attention of foreign clubs.
“Each of the athletes must create their own chances to earn overseas contracts,” said Serey Piseth.
“This procedure will allow our best players to generate higher incomes. We know that Veasna’s transfer fee rose from $20,000 to $100,000. We must put in our best efforts to ensure our players can attract the attention of other clubs,” he added.
The first season of the Techo league features three rounds before the final, each of them held at the National Olympic Stadium. Following the first round, the top six teams will meet to select the top four, who will meet in the third round semi-finals.
The top two teams will compete for the inaugural Techo League title in the February 18 finals.
Large prize pool
The winning team will collect 60 million riel ($15,000) in prize money, with the other teams also collecting cash awards, according to their results.
“No clubs have received private sponsorships, so the federation has put up the money for the first, second and third prizes,” explained Serey Piseth.
“We are pleased that we are able to offer incentives and believe that each team will be motivated to play as hard as they can. The more rounds they win, the more prize money they will receive. The total cost to the federation will be about 100 million riel [$25,000],” he added.
The format of the competition allows each club to bring in three foreign players, whether they are from ASEAN, Asia or Europe, provided they are recognised by the International Volleyball Federation. This will mean the Cambodian players will have more opportunities to attract interest from clubs abroad.
“The reason we wanted foreign players to join is because it will make the games tougher. The more competitive they are, the stronger Cambodian volleyball is. If we are not strong, then we will not deserve foreign contracts and we won’t attract viewers. If we can attract the attention of foreign clubs, the potential market is huge,” said Serey Piseth.
Value of overseas experience
Mom was transferred to Jakarta Garuda of Indonesia for three months in 2020, before getting the chance to play at the Long An club until late last year.
He believes his chance came because many foreign agents saw Cambodians as naturally gifted players, compared to the athletes from other countries in the region. Some of the Kingdom’s players lack experience, he conceded.
“Based on my experiences playing in Vietnam and Indonesia, their preparations and training goals are clearer. They have many more leagues and trophies, but their sporting resources are not much better than ours,” explained Mom.
“The Cambodian teams are physically, almost better than them. We just have a lack of experience of different techniques, because many of their players have played at many clubs under many different coaches, so they are always learning more and improving their capacities,” he added.
Originally from Takeo province, Mom was pleased to hear about the Techo League, expressing his belief that it will help make the Cambodian national team stronger.
“I was elated that the federation managed to create the new league, because it will be an important step in developing our abilities. I hope that it will aid the development of the sport in the Kingdom. It will encourage our players to be more resourceful, and it will add to the depth of the national squad,” he added.
