David Lee, the coach of the Bengaluru Torpedoes, is optimistic about the top volleyball league

Any sports fan will always find it fascinating to hear about a discussion between sports icons. Prior to Bangalore FC’s last match against Chennai at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, David Lee, the coach of the Bengaluru Torpedoes, the official volleyball team of the city, spoke with Bangalore FC captain Sunil Chettri. He said that the goal was to learn more about each player’s sport.

“Sunil Chettri was a very kind man. He used to enjoy volleyball and wants to attend one of our training sessions. “You want to come to my training?” I said. “I’ll put you through one intense session,” a lighthearted Lee adds.

Lee is taking the day off from preparing for the Prime Volleyball League, which will take place in Chennai on February 14 when we hook up with him. The season is just beginning, and so is the stress. It is both exhilarating and quite demanding. We’re having a wonderful preseason. Compared to previous season, our club seems to be a much stronger defensive and overall team. Although the foreign players gave us a few boosts, Lee says, “I’m excited to see what we can do this season.”

Bengaluru Torpedoes finished as runners-up in the previous season after Ahmedabad Defenders defeated them for the championship. However, Lee claims that the squad seems more powerful than before. Over the years, Pankaj Sharma, our captain, has shown to be our most reliable player. We have a lot of young players. Srajan U Shetty, our middle, is still a youngster and one of the league’s rising stars, according to the three-time Olympian.

While eyeing the championship this time, Lee is also closely monitoring other teams. “It will be the same team—Ahmedabad and Kolkata—that has advanced to the championships in the last several years. However, I really believe that the league will be evenly balanced. We don’t seem to have as good of a team as we have this year compared to last. “I have high hopes for this team, but this league is very unpredictable, especially with the format,” an optimistic Lee says.

Putting volleyball on par with other sports is one of the goals. Lee has seen that young people are becoming more interested in this sport.

We brought in a number of students from nearby schools and acquainted them with volleyball. Therefore, I believe that bringing kids in and letting them interact with these players as they practice is a fantastic approach to portray our sport as one that is developing. You go out to the young people who have been working with our professionals to see what they can accomplish. If they improve their talents, they can play in an Indian professional league,” adds Lee, who is excited about the competition in which they will take against the Kolkata Thunderbolts.