National women's beach volleyball coach Salome Wanjala believes the sport needs specialist players as opposed to current situation where they rope in conventional volleyball players.
The former international player said this will help prevent collision especially when both beach and conventional volleyball activities are held concurrently.
"I think it's high time stakeholders considered having specialised players for just beach game alone. Sometimes it's hard to get players when events occur concurrently," said Wanjala.
In her heydays, Wanjala played for Kenya Prisons ( 2009-2015), KCB (2017-2019) and also featured for Malkia Strikers for six years.
Wanjala said there has been tremendous development in the game and encouraged more athletes to join the cadre, adding that opportunities abound.
"There has been progress in the last couple of years if our performance at the international level is anything to go by. We had never recorded a set in a global event but we won a match at the Commonwealth Games," said Wanjala.
She added that having specialised players for the discipline will allow them plan accordingly and even afford to prepare early whenever they are approaching championships, especially international.
"We had three months to get our act together heading to the United Kingdom (for the Commonwealth games last August). It was a big motivation for the players and we want to keep this going."
She observed that this year offers a good opportunity the blend in young, talented players in beach volleyball with the Africa Youth Games due in Congo Brazzaville as well as the Africa Beach Games, whose venue is yet to be announced.
"We will have a balanced team in terms of youth and experience. Very soon the program will come up and we will name the provisional squad that will begin preparations," she concluded.
