MANILA – Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon "Tats" Suzara cited the need to further develop the men's and women's national teams to make them globally competitive.
“We need to improve, improve, improve,” he said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila on Tuesday.
Suzara noted that when he became PNVF president, the Philippine squads were ranked No. 117 in the world. But after nearly three years, the men’s team is now at No. 56 and the women’s team at No. 63.
“I want them to go up higher in the rankings like what Gilas Pilipinas is doing,” said Suzara, who also heads the organizing committee for the country’s hosting of the FIVB Men’s World Championship in September next year.
He added that improvement should not only come from players but the coaches as well. "Coaches should watch more matches, go abroad to learn."
Suzara wants more international exposure for the national team and to strengthen grassroots development by searching for younger and taller talents in the 14-under, 16-under, 18-under, and 21-under categories.
“We will go back to the grassroots in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. There’s still a lot of tall players in the provinces. I’m sure there are many," he said.
“Our national teams need 30 international matches a year. And we will do this. If it's only possible that they go abroad for one year, we will do that though it’s expensive.”
Suzara is optimistic that the Philippines will be a strong contender for the gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
“There is a chance to get the gold next year. We already beat Vietnam and Indonesia. That’s why I have a very good forecast for the next SEA Games. They're a little afraid of us. I’m really optimistic about our men’s and women’s teams,” he said.
Suzara expressed hope that his election as president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) would help the sport in the region, as well as the Philippines.
Among the 10-point agenda he presented to the AVC membership are putting volleyball among the top five sports in Asia, establishing a new and permanent AVC headquarters in Bangkok, staging an AVC Champions’ League, and creating an athletes’ commission.
Meanwhile, Suzara announced the draw of the FIVB Men’s World Championship at the Solaire Hotel on Sept. 15, to be attended by First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos.
“It’s a formal ceremony. The FIVB president is coming over and it will be aired live to over 200 countries,” he said. (PNA)
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