SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, December 8, 2013 - The FIVB/NORCECA Regional Development Center in the Dominican Republic in cooperation with the Santo Domingo Volleyball Association organized a mini-volleyball festival during the weekend.

Fifty-five teams of both genders from clubs and public and private schools of the Dominican Republic's capital took part in the successful event. The competition was for boys and girls up to 12 years old.

"The kids had a great time and the opportunity to put in practice the practical and theoretical instructions received during the summer from the physical education teachers who have been trained in the Development Centre," Angel Rivas, president of the Association, said.

"It was also very inspiring to see the children enjoying playing volleyball and taking the chance to make new friendships, which is one of the main purposes of this initiative," Rivas added.

At the end of the festival, the Development Center presented each team with a ball and a complete set of nets.

All the coaches taking part in the Level II Course, currently underway with the supervision of FIVB Instructors Argelio Hernandez of Cuba and Juan Cartagena of Puerto Rico, attended the festival and took advantage to learn about the organization process of the activity.

The Mini-Volleyball Festival, the seventh organized in Santo Domingo, concluded the working program of the Development Center in Dominican Republic for the year 2013.