.KAVC Founders' International Memorial Tournament
History
In 1995, it was 25 years since the formation of KAVC. KAVC decided to invite top teams from Rwanda and a team from Holland to join KAVC in a tournament to celebrate this fact (Silver Jubilee). Four teams from Rwanda, Kigali Volleyball Club (men and women), Rwanda Patriotic Army (men), and National University of Rwanda(men), travelled to Kampala. From Holland a ladies team, Oranje Nassau, travelled to Kampala. Locally we had KAVC (men and women), KCC (women), Dairy Corporation and Uganda Clays (men). We also had a young team from Kumi District of men founded by one of KAVC pioneers now deceased, Dr. Wilson Ojikan-Odeke, called Kumi Rangers.
Subsequently, KAVC made the tournament an annual event starting in 1997 and invites top teams from the region. It was decided to name the tournament MEM, short for Founders' Memorial and to play it in memory of Dr. Wilson Ojikan-Odeke, one of the four founders of the club in 1970 and who passed away on 7th December 1995.
The memorial tournament is an invitational event (NOT OPEN) bringing together East Africa’s big teams for quality play. It is the aim of KAVC to provide the top teams and fans in this country a high-level competitive portfolio as one of KAVC’s contributions to the development of the game in the country.
To encourage foreign teams to come and play in Kampala KAVC's senior male and female teams routinely travel to Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, to participate in most of their top competitions. KAVC has competed in Kigali, Butare, Nzoia, Moshi, Bungoma, Kisumu, Busia, Malaba, Nairobi, Dar es salaam, Bujumbura, Eldoret, Kakamega among different regional towns, which makes KAVC a household name in the East African Federation. KAVC looks forward to extending its influence into the greater African block.
