Japanese invasion to make PVL ‘better’

Nxled Chameleons coach Taka Minowa. –PVL PHOTO

Taka Minowa had a much bigger goal in mind when he accepted the coaching job at Nxled in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) last year.

The Japanese, the architect of the Chameleons’ promising debut in the last All-Filipino Conference, is not here for his Chameleons alone, though.

“In the Philippines, there are coaches who are focused on learning and improving, and there are many players with a lot of potential,” Minowa said in a social media post. “I wanted to understand the current situation and decided to work in the Philippines, hoping to contribute in any way possible.”

READ: Taka Minowa takes on another role for Akari, Nxled PVL teams

He has just expanded his reach as he serves as program director for sister teams Nxled and Akari after helping the Chameleons prove that they can outright be competitive under his disciplined approach.

Minowa, though, does not want the league and its players to be limited to the Japanese style of volleyball.

“[I]n the Philippines, there are many coaching staff and players who speak English, so I think inviting coaches from English-speaking countries outside the Asian region could bring new perspectives,” Minowa went on.

Nxled tapping Minowa last year may have given other teams the idea to seek the services of other Japanese mentors, with Farm Fresh bolstering its coaching staff after tapping Hideo Suzuki as team consultant and learning under Master Shimuzu ahead of the 2024 season.

Petro Gazz, too

Suzuki successfully led Japan Division 3 team Kurashiki Ablaze to a PVL championship in last year’s Invitational Conference.

Petro Gazz, which has been looking to return to championship form, also replaced Timmy Sto. Tomas after just one conference and signed Koji Tsuzurabara as its new head coach.

“It is a great honor for me as a Japanese person to have a team from Japan recognized for winning in the PVL, and to have the results of Nxled from last season evaluated,” Minowa said.

“However, I feel uneasy about the current situation, as it seems that only the label of being Japanese is being emphasized,” Minowa added as he pushes the league to widen its horizons.

“I want to play volleyball as a teammate with everyone to make the PVL even better.”