TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 28, 2026. – The II AFECAVOL U17 Girls’ Central American Championship officially got underway in Tegucigalpa with the preliminary inspection and registration process, during which participating teams completed their documentation and confirmed their entries for the tournament.
The championship features six countries divided into two pools, introducing a new competition format for AFECAVOL events. Beyond the format, however, coaches emphasized the importance of establishing this age category and adjusting the age groups to better support the long-term development of volleyball across the region.
Sherlenne Johnson, Belize head coach: “Our expectation is for the girls to give their best effort and compete with the right attitude. We have a very young team, but we have been training together for a long time. They work hard and play with heart. We’re not expecting extraordinary results, but we do expect them to perform well. Three of our players gained valuable experience at the U15 Championship in Nicaragua last year.”
Julio Domínguez, Guatemala head coach: “We are very motivated and grateful to AFECAVOL for creating opportunities in these age categories, which are so important for our region. Even though the athletes are very young, these competitions are essential. They don’t have many opportunities to compete officially, but everyone involved in Guatemala’s program has worked hard to represent our country with pride.”
Gabriela Fúnez, El Salvador head coach: “We brought a new group of players, and we hope they continue to develop throughout this competition while achieving the best possible results for our country. Although they haven’t played in many official tournaments, they have gained experience through friendly matches, and we believe they are ready to perform well.”
Claudia Noguera, Nicaragua head coach: “The goal is for the girls to gain experience in this category. We have players born in 2012, aged 13 and 14, who previously represented our U15 national team and already have some international experience. Promoting these age categories is very important because it contributes to the progressive development of volleyball in the region.”
Kareem Richardson, Costa Rica head coach: “Costa Rica always enters tournaments ready to compete. We remain humble, but we always aim to be competitive in every age category. We have a young team, and these age adjustments are important because they align us with NORCECA. Despite their youth, our players are developing very well on the court.”
Alex Carías, Honduras head coach: “We are beginning a new development process with this team. We’ve learned that player development takes time and requires long-term planning. Four of our players have previously represented the national team, including at the U15 level, while the rest are new athletes who are starting a new cycle.”
Competition begins on Monday, June 29, at 4:00 p.m. at Jorge Galeano Volleyball Gymnasium, located within the Simón Azcona Sports Complex. Two matches will be played daily during the pool phase, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship match.
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