PNVF eyes exhibition games vs top nations in June 2022

FILE — Rebisco men’s national team in the AVC Club tilt. AVC PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) is eyeing exhibition games between volleyball’s cream of the crop and the country’s national teams.

The sport’s powerhouses will be in town for the second leg of the Volleyball Nations League in June 2022 and PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara hopes to use the time to help the two Philippine teams to gain much-needed experience.

“The plan now is to have exhibition matches one day after the women’s tournament against Japan and Russia, and for the men’s, is to have exhibition games against Argentina or Italy and Japan also,” Suzara said Tuesday during the PSA Forum.

“This will give our national players a chance to play against these world class teams here in the Philippines as part of the promotion of the FIVB. It’s also part of the timetable because there’s a three-day gap before they go to the next leg so it’s better for them to stay here first.”

The women’s competition of the VNL kicks off from June 13 to 19 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City while men’s play is set from June 21 to 26 at Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The United States, China, Japan, Russia, Belgium, Poland and Thailand make up the women’s side while the men’s competition features France, Russia, Argentina, Japan, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Suzara also said the PNVF is aiming to allow fans back in attendance for both tournaments at 50 percent capacity but that will still depend on the Inter-Agency Task Force and the country’s situation with the pandemic at that time.