Plans are underway to include the national team in the bubble of the Premier Volleyball League’s Open Conference set late June or early July either in Calamba or Subic.
PVL President Ricky Palou said “Philippine National Volleyball Federation Inc. (PNVF) President Tats Suzara has already agreed in principle to the idea” although the proposal will still be tackled by the board.
“I think it would do the team good,” Palou said during his guesting in Noli Eala’s Power & Play program over the weekend.
Though they will not be included in the tournament, Palou said national team members could have scrimmages with the 12 participating club teams competing in the Conference.
The Philippine men’s volleyball team had a similar setup during their preparations for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games where they were included in the tournament roster of the Spikers Turf.
Palou, also a PNVF board member, said the exposure helped the men’s team develop teamwork and coordination.
“And you know the result of that. They landed a silver medal,” Palou said.
The silver-medal feat was the best performance ever of a PH men’s squad in the SEAG, eclipsing its previous best finish of a bronze medal in the 1991 SEAG also held in Manila.
Palou supported the PH team’s formation with seven months left in the SEAG scheduled in Vietnam, saying that it is beneficial to have enough time to train.
Some of their counterparts like Thailand and Vietnam have actually formed their teams and are currently training for the biennial meet.
Plans are also underway for the PNVF to hold a training camp in Subic from May to November, but specific details are still being tackled.