Return point

The club season actually begins in Nizhnevartovsk next Monday. The oldest of the purely Russian official tournaments, the Cup of Siberia and the Far East, starts here. It is being held for the 32nd time, and among its current participants, the organizer of the competition, the Ugra-Samotlor club, has most often won the honorary trophy - seven titles. The current lineup of candidates for the main prize is very solid. The Super League is represented by the teams “Lokomotiv” (Novosibirsk), “Gazprom-Yugra” (Surgut district), “Fakel” (Novy Urengoy), “Kuzbass” (Kemerovo). As for the hosts, Nizhnevartovsk has always been and remains a supplier of players to various Russian national teams, and Ugra-Samotlor is now on the path to reviving its glorious winning traditions. The president of VC "Samotlor", vice-president of the volleyball federation of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra, Alexey BEREZIN, told a Vremya Novostei correspondent about the significance of the upcoming tournament.

- Why did your club take up organizing the Cup? Was there competition in this matter?

-- Firstly, it is very important for us to maintain a high level of volleyball competitions in Nizhnevartovsk with the participation of the strongest Russian clubs. We are doing everything possible not to consign the glorious history of Samotlor’s achievements to oblivion and to maintain hope of returning to the super league. Secondly, it was with the victory in the Siberian and Far East Cup that Samotlor began its ascent to the elite of Russian and European volleyball in 1990. And thirdly, the tournament of the strongest Siberian teams is dedicated to the memory of Yuri Furaev, who has done a lot for the development of all Russian volleyball and who at one time defended the right to exist for the Cup of Siberia and the Far East in exactly the format in which it has been held in recent years. I know that many teams planned to hold this tournament at their sites. Therefore, I am grateful to the leadership of the All-Russian Volleyball Federation and colleagues from other Siberian clubs for entrusting Nizhnevartovsk with hosting the tournament.

-- What tasks does your team face for this tournament and the entire season as a whole?

- Now the main task of the team and the coaching staff is to conduct reconnaissance in force to find out what goals can be aimed at in the Russian Championship, what needs to be adjusted in preparation, strengthened in the playing staff and where to move next in work. This can only be achieved through solving the maximum task - to defeat everyone. I hope that our players, both old-timers and newcomers, understand this and dare in their home tournament. Our club has gone through many trials in its history, and we have nothing to fear or be timid; we will accept any result with dignity and continue our preparations. As for the prospects in the championship, the city leadership has set the task for the coming season to create the prerequisites for the team’s return to the super league. That is, as I understand it, we must create the backbone of the team, and the founders must provide the economic component.

— Is the Cup of Siberia and the Far East a regular pre-season tournament for your club, or is this competition given much more importance?

-- We attach serious importance to the Cup both in terms of sports and in terms of the development of volleyball in the city and region. Volleyball, according to official statistics, is the most popular and most developed sport in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra. And it is extremely important for us not only to preserve the best volleyball traditions in Ugra, but also to develop them. The most significant of them are the preparation of a sports reserve for Russian national teams, the participation of clubs in European cups, the holding of World League matches and the annual international tournament Ugra Governor's Cup in the cities of the Autonomous Okrug.

-- How many local students are on the team now and how are things going at VC Samotlor in general with the preparation of its own reserve?

-- In small Nizhnevartovsk there are three sports schools with volleyball departments, this fall a specialized Olympic reserve school “Samotlor” opened, we work closely with sports schools in other cities of Ugra. The most promising young volleyball players undergo an internship in the subsidiary team - the farm club. Our students are multiple winners of the Russian championship, including in 2010, winners and prize-winners of the world and European championships, and perform in many leading clubs in the country. Today's team is staffed in an equal percentage - based on local athletes with the invitation of young volleyball players from the Ural and Siberian regions.

— Who did you find support from when organizing the tournament?

-- The KhMAO-Yugra Volleyball Federation is providing active assistance in organizing the tournament. Sponsors were involved in financing the tournament, and the resources of the Nizhnevartovsk administration were involved. Together we try to create comfortable conditions for the participating teams, so that nothing interferes with their preparation for matches and the full development of their sporting potential.

— How popular is volleyball in the city now and how are things going with the fans?

— Frankly speaking, the club’s long-term financial problems and the mass exodus of the best players from Nizhnevartovsk to other clubs do not please our fans. But we are grateful to our fellow countrymen for their loyalty to the team and for their enthusiastic support in the stands. The Siberian and Far East Cup is a gift to the fans and an opportunity for Ugra-Samotlor players to ignite the hearts of flying ball fans with hope.

Interviewed by Vladimir BORISOV