BY FORTUNE MBELE
FORMER Zimbabwe senior men’s national volleyball team captain Murray Pole Ndlovu was recently appointed head coach of Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler, a top volleyball team in Japan.
Ndlovu has been appointed head coach for the Japanese V-League Division 1 men’s 2021-2022 season, set to start in October.
The former national volleyball team skipper confirmed his appointment, saying he has been a member of the Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler coaching staff for the past six years and says the owner of the club Atsushi Miyoshi urged him to pursue coaching and paid for his courses.
“From this season (2021-22), I was appointed head coach of Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler volleyball team. For the past six years, I was a member of the coaching staff and when they retired the head coach, the club owner then promoted me to head coach. The owner is the one who encouraged me to pursue the coaching. He funded my studies in Thailand for attaining the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) level one and two coaching courses that I required to head of a professional team or national team,” Ndlovu said. Ndlovu has also played for the Japanese club.
“It is a blessing and honour to stand in front of players giving them instructions. I came to Japan as a tryout player, as a nervous young man, shocked by the culture, shocked by the high standards of volleyball and to be head of a team is really an honour. It’s huge to me. For Zimbabwe, I think this can inspire someone that when you put your mind on something, it can materialises to what you want it to be. This is a dream that I have always had since I was young that after playing volleyball, I want to become a coach and God has blessed me with this opportunity,” he said.
He has also been commended by the African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) for that feat.
“Congratulations to Zimbabwe’s Murray Pole Ndlovu. The former Zimbabwe men’s national team captain has been appointed head coach of Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler in the Japan V-League Division 1 for the 2021/22 season,” CAVB said on its Facebook page.
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Ndlovu started playing volleyball at 11 when he was with JS Harare in 1996 and also played for Cranborne and Prince Edward High schools in 2003, winning gold with the junior national team in Italy.
A setter, he was senior men’s national team captain from 2003 to 2011 and in 2009 he won gold at the Zone VI Club Championships in South Africa with Botswana side Kutlwano.
On three occasions, he was named the most valuable player (MVP) at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa from 2009 to 2012 where he also played for club Cigma.
Ndlovu moved to Japan in 2012 where he played for Oita Miyoshi Wessie Adler doubling up from 2014 in the latter years of his career in the coaching staff after acquiring FIVB coaching badges until his latest appointment.
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