Four teams from each country would play in the new series to be played in the fall. Estonian teams Tallinna, Võru, Pärnu and Tartu are willing to participate.
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Joel Sippola
Estonian Öhtuleht told on Monday (you will switch to another service), that a completely new volleyball league may be played next fall, with Finnish and Estonian premier league teams participating. According to Virolaislehti, four teams from each country would play in the league.
The series would start at the end of September and culminate in the best-of-four finals at the end of the year.
Estonian manager of Tartu and the mastermind behind the project Hendrik Rikandi according to which the series project would be led by the clubs themselves.
– All Estonian teams, in addition to us, Tallinn, Võru and Pärnu, have confirmed their willingness. Several teams from Finland are also interested. VaLePa will not participate because they want to focus on the Champions League. I cannot say the names of possible Finnish teams, because everything has not been agreed yet. In any case, the teams are the top teams in southern Finland, Rikand said.
– I am hopeful. I think this league would give both Estonian and Finnish teams more games at just the right level of difficulty. It will also be interesting to see how the audience would receive the new series, Rikand said.
According to Rikand, the new series aims to ensure that there are no additional costs for the clubs.
– The deadline for registration for Europeles is mid-May. By then it should be clear whether the new series will start or not.
The Volleyball Association has not held discussions
CEO of the Finnish Volleyball Association Karri Virtanen according to the Finnish and Estonian joint league, there have been no discussions in the association.
– There is nothing like expanding or merging the Champions League with something. They are very false rumors, if there are such rumors.
The joint Baltic volleyball league of Finland, Estonia and Latvia has been planned for 2020. The league was supposed to be played at the same time as the Champions League. The plan was put on hold during the corona pandemic.
Virtanen recalls seeing a report years ago in which the clubs of the Champions League considered that the costs and the level difference between the clubs were such that playing in the league was not appropriate for Finnish volleyball.
According to Virtanen, a few individual representatives of the Champions League clubs have over the years investigated the possibilities of an Estonian-Finnish league.
– Neither the Championship League nor the Finnish Volleyball Federation have had anything to do with the matter.