Hyderabad: Hyderabad Black Hawks are pleased to announce the Vijay Deverakonda Black Hawks Open '24 tournament (finale), which is the biggest tournament the sport has seen across the two Telugu states – Telangana & Andhra Pradesh!
Rupay is the official sponsor for The VD Black Hawks Open. Hyderabad Black Hawks, who are a professional volleyball team competing in the Prime Volleyball League (PVL), India's premier top-flight volleyball tournament, aim to promote talent, scout for aptitude and groom players from both the Telugu States who can then showcase their talent and make a career in volleyball.
Speaking about the VD Black Hawks Open, Vijay Deverakonda, Co-owner of Hyderabad Black Hawks said, “Black Hawks aim to engage with the local/rural community and pay the two Telugu states back, standing by them through thick and thin in their journey in the Prime Volleyball League. With teams across 16 cities in the Telugu states, the VD Black Hawks Open '24 tournament is primed to promote volleyball at the grassroots level and bring about an understanding and appreciation for the sport across all strata of society. We extend our best wishes to all the team competing in the finals at Gachibowli Stadium.”.
With a total number of 307 teams participating from 16 districts across the two states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which include a total of 3,200 players and coaches, the tournament also saw more than 15,000 fans attend and have a gala time. The teams that participated in this tournament were invited to register themselves from the following districts:
Telangana: Adilabad, Rangareddy, Mahbubnagar, Khammam, Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Warangal – 8 cities
Andhra Pradesh: Guntur, Vijayawada, Nellore, Kadapa, Rajahmundry, Kurnool, Vishakapatnam
Eluru – 8 cities
“The VD Black Hawks Open ‘24 is the first of its kind in the two Telugu states, and the Black Hawks intend to inspire thousands of kids to pick up volleyball as a sport and showcase their talent. The main intention in conducting the VD Black Hawks Open '24 is to primarily promote the sport of volleyball at the grassroots level across the Telugu states and also help scout talent for further grooming and development,” said Mr. Abhishek Reddy, Principal Owner of Hyderabad Black Hawks.
“Having the proper set of mechanisms to encourage participation at the grassroots level and identifying the right talent is what the Black Hawks are keen on doing,” he added.
Fans from across the two Telugu states are also invited to the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium to cheer for their respective teams on the championship weekend of February 10 and 11. The tournament has been held in two stages- district level and championship level. While the three phases of the district level were held on January 19-21, 26-28 and February 2-4, the final stage- the championship weekend- will be held in the capital city of Hyderabad on February 10 and 11 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.
To further inspire participation from the grassroots, the teams have been encouraged by the Black Hawks with the prospect of prize money. The winners' prize money at the championship level is INR 1 lakh, while the runners-up will be awared by INR 50,000. The two teams who lose in the semifinals will end up pocketing INR 25,000 each. Winners of the VD Black Hawks Open '24 will be invited to train with Hyderabad Black Hawks.
The prize-distribution ceremony will be conducted by Mr. Vijay Deverakonda, actor and co-owner of Hyderabad Black Hawks on February 11. An exhibition match will also be played by the Black Hawks, which the fans can watch and enjoy.
