JON Issacs in action for the men’s national beach soccer team.
By TENAJH SWEETING
tsweeting@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas men’s beach volleyball team, consisting of primarily Jon Issacs and Eugene Stuart, are seeking financial sponsorship for their upcoming international beach volleyball season.
The North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) tour has nine senior stops for the 2023 season. The NORCECA tour stops will include places such as Mexico, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and the Dominican Republic, which are some of the usual major stops along the tour.
With Jon Issacs recently getting back into beach volleyball since starting the journey in 2018, he has now been joined by his teammate Eugene Stuart, who plays the position of middle blocker. The pair will look to accomplish great feats on the 2023 NORCECA Tour but will need to reach their sponsorship goal of $30,000 to represent the country internationally.
Jon Issacs, member of the Bahamas Beach Volleyball team, talked about why the pair is asking for this amount of money for the 2023 volleyball season.
“I love the game and the intrinsic value it brings, but I’ve reached the point that it has become much harder to be [paying] out of pocket with entry fees, flights, and hotel costs going up, we need help,” Issacs said.
Persons that are interested in helping the duo represent The Bahamas on the 2023 NORCECA Tour will contribute towards the flight fees for both players, tournament entry fees, food, hotel, and other associated costs such as visas and adequate training so that the players can perform well internationally.
Although players were once able to fund their own tours, the duo believe that sponsorship can help the team to get to another level with more skilled coaches, development programmes, and participation in regional and international competitions.
“Also, it will assist in growing the sport and attracting the next generation of volleyball athletes.”
The Bahamas has not yet submitted a team for the FIVB Beach Pro ranks, Pan-Am Games, or the Olympics but Stuart and Issacs are hoping to change that this season.
The pair understands that while beach volleyball does require a lot of patience, commitment and training in order to rise through the rankings, it’s important for them to compete in the NORCECA Tour because it provides the opportunity to qualify for those events.
Despite the lack of support so far, Issacs talked about what made beach volleyball different from other sports.
“The great part of playing beach [volleyball] is that it requires so much more than typical specialization you would see in the indoor game, you have to be able to serve, pass, set, and attack consistently on your own then top it off with some gruelling conditions.
“It’s an outdoor sport with limited timeouts and no substitutions,” Issacs said.
He added that there is so much more potential for growth with the right partnerships, coaching and support.
Persons who are interested in supporting the beach volleyball athletes for their 2023 NORCECA Tour, or simply donating, can contact Jon Issacs at bahamasbeachvolleyball@ gmail.com
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