40 families at Vengalam welcome players

KOZHIKODE: Players participating in cash-strapped volleyball tournaments often have to content with staying in dusty hostel rooms and lodges. But participants at the 41st Kerala State Senior Volleyball Championships in Vengalam were in for a pleasant surprise.Waiting to accommodate them with open doors were 40 families living next to the stadium where the tournament is being held.The unique scheme was devised by members of the accommodation committee who realised they had very little to work with. “Vengalam is more than half an hour away from Kozhikode and we have just one hotel here. So it was obvious that we would have to find another way to accommodate the 400 players and 100 officials who were participating in the tournament. That was how we came up with this idea,” said Jayesh K, convener of the accommodation committee.Luckily for the organisers, nearby residents were only too happy to help out. The system has also been warmly received by the players with many describing the facilities in glowing terms.“I have been to many international and domestic tournaments but I have never seen this sort of facility where a family takes in a team and lets them use every facility in their house for the duration of the tournament,” said Kozhikode captain Azeez Thayambath.All of Vengalam might have been rooting for hosts Kozhikode before the tournament began but many of the hosts are beginning to develop a soft corner for some of their guests.“These are some nice kids and I do hope that they do really well in the tournament,” said Valsala Chandran who is hosting the Palakkad team.