•Upcoming league matches will now be held in both outdoor and indoor venues rather than exclusively in indoor arenas
•KVF has been unable to secure Bomas of Kenya and ANU as possible indoor venues, among other institutions
•An indoor venue is part of KVF's plan to align Kenyan volleyball to international standards where volleyball matches are staged indoors
The Kenya Volleyball Federation have hit an about turn on their earlier promise to stage all their league matches indoor this season.
KVF media liaison Isaac Tirop revealed that there is change of plan and they will use both indoor and outdoor facilities.
Tirop revealed the federation's frustration with securing enough indoor venues, including the Bomas of Kenya and Africa Nazarene University.
"We had targeted various universities to use their indoor arenas for some of our matches.
"However, even though they are not saying it plainly, they are fearful of the current Covid-19 situation especially now that students are back in session.
"It is understandable though that it may be difficult to control a situation where outsiders come to these institutions and mingle with students to watch matches," Tirop said.
He added that the availability of Bomas of Kenya remains uncertain in the face of numerous political meetings that may be held there.
The new development leaves Moi Stadium, Kasarani and Kenya Ports Authority's Makande Gymnasium, Mombasa as the sure indoor venues available for league matches.
Nonetheless, Tirop pointed out a silver lining in the fact that several teams participating in the league are institutions with indoor venues.
"The league matches are conducted in such a way that one team will be the host to three other teams playing in the same venue. We have teams, such as Kenya Prisons and KDF that may provide a solution to this whenever they are the host teams," Tirop said.
He also hopes the use of Moi Stadium, Kasarani as a training camp for some of the qualified teams to the Tokyo Olympics, will not affect the league matches set to be held there.
"We hope clubs will be allowed to use the venue even though there may be national teams training there. This is something we will confirm from NOC-K," he said.
Tirop is optimistic more indoor venues will be available when the league reaches the playoff stage.
The new league is scheduled to serve off on January 23 with eight women and 13 men's teams having confirmed participation.
Resorting to an indoor venue was part of KVF's plan to align the local league to the International Volleyball Federation's format and enhance the growth of the sport.