A birthday match and a bold promise
A brass band, a friendly gala and a packed Saint-Louis des Français church set the tempo on 6 September as Volleyball Club Renaissance of Mpila blew out ten symbolic candles. President Blaise Ngamba used the moment to pledge a bolder, city-wide scouting mission.
“We cannot stay only in Mpila,” he told guests, stressing the need to explore Kintélé, Nkombo and other neighbourhoods. “Volleyball belongs everywhere.” His statement resonated with alumni who remember the group’s humble single-net sessions launched in 2015 on the dusty courts of Lycée Technique 5-Février.
Mpila roots, Brazzaville dreams
VC Renaissance began its story with one cadet team practising after class beneath fading backboards. A decade later the club fields nearly every age category except senior women, mirroring the rising appetite for organised sport across the capital.
Last season the senior men finished third in the departmental championship—an achievement Ngamba calls “proof that patient work pays”. He now wants the outfit to become “the grain store” of Brazzaville volleyball, constantly feeding local sides with polished players ready for national duty.
New campuses widen the net
The club’s expansion already passes a tangible test: a second training centre opened this year at Lycée Technique 1er-Mai, a bustling commercial school downtown. Coaches rotate between campuses, sharing drills that mix tactical boards with fitness circuits borrowed from elite Italian programmes.
Ngamba says future sessions could reach university courtyards and peri-urban playgrounds as transport links improve. Local PE teacher Solange Mvouba applauds the plan, arguing that “teenagers cling to sport when mentors come to them, not the other way round”.
Teaching before trophies
VC Renaissance insists that formation outweighs medals. Weekly classes involve rule quizzes, nutritional tips and peer mentoring. The club even limits inter-team transfers for four seasons, hoping to keep groups cohesive and preserve the spectacle of balanced competitions.
“Some clubs wait for talent to bloom elsewhere and then poach,” Ngamba warns, urging a gentleman’s agreement across the league. A stronger grassroots base, he believes, will help Congo’s selections regain continental relevance without over-reliance on short-term imports.
International friends ship in gear
Good intentions rely on proper kit, and overseas allies are stepping up. The Italian Volleyball Federation sends fresh balls, nets and uniforms each year, building on contacts first brokered by Congolese expatriates near Milan.
Brand-new boxes, stamped ITALIA, sit in storage awaiting affordable freight to Brazzaville. The club has also secured extra pads and training ladders through a budding partner in France. “We dream of a durable partnership, the same loyalty we feel from Italy,” the president smiles.
Sport meets citizenship
The tenth-anniversary week underlined that service is as crucial as smashes. On 3 September, players swapped sneakers for rakes, cleaning the Lycée 5-Février grounds. A day later they queued at Talangaï Referral Hospital to donate blood, drawing grateful applause from medics.
These gestures, says local councillor Alain Okemba, “show that athletes can sweep and save lives as naturally as they block at the net”. Certificates of honour were later handed to parents, teachers and sponsors who kept the project alive through economic highs and lows.
Eyes on future seasons
As Brazzaville’s volleyball calendar resets, VC Renaissance is already drafting its next roadmap. Priorities include launching a senior women’s side, securing a permanent indoor hall and organising a citywide schools cup to spot new prospects.
Ngamba believes the club’s model aligns with national priorities of youth empowerment and healthy living. “Every jersey we hand out keeps one more young person active and focused,” he says. Fans filling the bleachers echo that optimism, eager for the first whistle of the coming campaign.
Supporters say they cannot wait to see how far the renaissance spirit will travel next season.
