PHILIPPINE volleyball hit new highs thanks to Alas Pilipinas’ historic bronze medal in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women on home soil, with thousands of Filipino fans packing the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
But even with record crowds and improving results, such fast-paced growth is only the tip of the iceberg for what the sport can still become.
READ: Jia calls for continuity to sustain Alas Pilipinas momentum
Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) coaching instructor Shihab Al-din Ahmed Al-Riyami, who was part of the AVC Challenge Cup’s technical sub-committee, was present in Manila and afterwards, pinpointed key strengths and areas of improvement for the country and the sport moving forward.
Coaching at the core
Carrying 15 years of international experience honing the world’s best mentors, Al-Riyami stressed a core component that he believes must be of utmost importance for Philippine volleyball: coaching.
“If you want to improve sports in any way, you have to focus on the coaches. These coaches don’t just come in like that," he said.
“If you will improve the coaches and increase the number of qualified coaches in sports, especially in volleyball, it will make sure that this country will be fine for a long time."
At present, both Philippine seniors’ national teams are being handled by foreign coaches from volleyball powerhouse Brazil in Jorge Souza de Brito (women’s) and Sergio Veloso (men’s).
de Brito’s appointment in 2021 was a product of the FIVB’s national team development program, which aims to bring international coaches and raise the level of play for volleyball programs overseas.
A rocky three years at the helm of the national team also saw him call the shots for the Akari Chargers for a year in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). From there, his latest feat before the expected expiration of his contract by the end of June was a breakthrough podium finish in the continental meet.
Parallel to de Brito, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) named Veloso as the men’s team mentor in 2023. He serves as the concurrent head coach of a rebuilding UAAP women’s team in the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
Opening doors for local shot-callers
The FIVB official doubled down on his coaching proposition by citing how the Philippines must invest in a coaching program that will bring lessons all across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
“I wanna focus on one point and this is very important: We have to establish a national coaching program. So if we have a national coaching certification program, (it will) make sure that in the future, you’ll have a lot of qualified Philippine coaches," he shared.
This is even truer because of the fact that de Brito and Veloso's double duties typify the perceived lack of mentors across local volleyball teams and competitions. Such a pattern of concurrent coaching roles underscores the need for diversity and opportunity to make the sport more accessible for aspiring homegrown shot-callers.
That's because once coaches get certified, they can go back to their schools, clubs, or localities and share what they've learned there. If so, whatever is being taught in seminars, workshops, and conventions will be for the benefit of all.
Alongside taking care of the current and next generation of coaches, the Philippines can also ensure that volleyball's rapid rise won't just be a fleeting phenomenon by also strengthening the working relationship among the government, national federation, media, educational system, and family.
Alas and Asia vs. the world
Still, even as European nations remain the gold standard in world volleyball, Al-Riyami is at ease with the fact that Asian teams are already well on their way.
The Philippines doesn't even have to look far for a formula for success. In the FIVB official's eyes, Thailand's - the No. 13 team in the world and the continent's third-ranked nation - template is very much replicable.
“(In) Thailand, (for) 15 years there is no volleyball, but now, Thailand is one of the top (teams) in the world. I think if all the national federations are working hardly to level up the game, I think we have good opportunities to be like CEV, the European federation,” he said.
“In Asia, we have a lot of national federations. If they’re working hardly, we can increase the number of national teams that will be in international events. Now, the Philippines will be the fifth or sixth national team that will be in international tournaments."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
