Future Stars Initiative, the Eczacıbaşı Sports Club’s project to train new generations of women volleyball players, encourage thousands of children to take up sports, and discover future volleyball stars, organized its third Family Volleyball Festival and third Tournament for Development Teams.
Future Stars Initiative families meet in Istanbul
Students from 10 volleyball schools in Istanbul, Antalya, Bodrum, Çorlu and İzmir and their families came to Istanbul on 3-4 February for a weekend of sports, fun, and learning at the 3rd Family Volleyball Festival.
Over the course of the weekend, students aged 6-12 played volleyball in a series of fun tournaments that included their families, attended a presentation about the Sports Culture and Olympic Education Program Project by Turkey’s Olympic Committee, and participated in drama activities.
Students also spent time with Eczacıbaşı VitrA A-team players, several of whom have played in Olympic games and were interviewed for the Olympic Committee’s presentation. Over the weekend, they also had many opportunities to get to know each other better and make new friends.
Future Stars Initiative players experience the excitement of Mini Olympics
350 of the 700 licensed young players in Eczacıbaşı’s Future Stars Initiative came together in Istanbul for Mini Olympic Games. In addition to five volleyball tournaments, they took part in foot races and brain teasing games, watched documentaries about the Olympics, and attended talks by players, trainers and referees who have represented Turkey in the Olympics and other international competitions. They also participated in a series of drama-based activities aimed at encouraging students to develop themselves.
Speakers at the event included international referee Erol Akbulut, the Turkish Volleyball Federation’s Coordinator of Young Development Teams Şahin Çatma, the Technical Coordinator of Future Stars Initiative Reşat Yazıcıoğulları, Ziraat Bank Sports Club’s trainer in charge of Development Teams and trainer of the National Men’s Development Teams Kazım Hidayetoğlu, and the administrator of the Eczacıbaşı Sports Club Development Teams Asuman Karakoyun.
On the final day of the tournament, participants played volleyball with three members of the Eczacıbaşı VitrA A Team – Beyza Arıcı, Ezgi Dilik and Hande Baladın. Tournament participants with the best individual performance and members of the top three teams in the brain teasing games won volleyballs with the signatures of Eczacıbaşı VitrA A Team players.
After a closing speech by the President of the Eczacıbaşı Sports Club, Faruk Eczacıbaşı, players received their medals from Eczacıbaşı VitrA’s head coach Marco Aurelio Motta,and the Chair of the Turkish Volleyball Federation’s Educational Board Prof. Selda Bereket. Every participant also received a certificate of participation from the Vice President of the Eczacıbaşı Sports Club Erdal Karamercan.
