City man appointed head coach of team in UP Pro Volleyball League

A 36-year-old volleyball coach from Jalandhar, Amritpal Singh, has been appointed as the head coach of the Ayodhya Super Kings—one of the eight teams participating in the inaugural season of the Uttar Pradesh Pro Volleyball League. The highly anticipated league will kick off on August 5 and continue till 19.

The player auction was held in Noida, where the Ayodhya Super Kings also picked Jasjodh Singh from Jaura village in Bhogpur, Jalandhar, strengthening the district’’s representation in the upcoming tournament. Each team will feature a squad of 15 players, including nine players from Uttar Pradesh, five from other states and one sports icon.

Amritpal Singh is currently in Orissa, serving at the coaching camp for the 32nd World University Games, scheduled to be held in Berlin. A coach with the Sports Department, Amritpal had also recently been appointed as the assistant coach for the national senior men’s volleyball team. The team was preparing for the CAVA Men’s Nations League, with training being held in Bangalore.

Amritpal hails from a volleyball-centric family—his father being a former international player. Inspired by his father’s legacy, Amritpal began training at the age of 10 and quickly made a name for himself in school, district and state-level competitions. He later competed in the senior national championships, where he was repeatedly recognised as the best libero.

However, in 2013, a knee injury forced him to retire from professional play. Turning this into opportunity, he pursued coaching, enrolling at the National Institute of Sports in Bangalore, where he earned a gold medal. His passion and dedication propelled him to become India’s youngest third-level coach certified by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB).

Additionally, he has been appointed as the nodal officer for volleyball, overseeing the implementation of PU flooring in volleyball courts across various districts of Punjab.

For Amritpal, volleyball is more than just a sport. “Whatever I am today is because of volleyball. The achievements, status, recognition, admiration and love—I owe it all to the game. It is my life,” he said.