The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) and the Japan Volleyball Association (JVA) have agreed on a training exchange program for their national indoor and beach volleyball teams.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be working alongside such strong federation with a grand tradition and rich history in the sport,” PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara said in a press statement on Wednesday.

Suzara, together with PNVF executive director Marie Louise Principe and executive assistant Antonio Carlos Jr., met with JVA chief Shunichi Kawai at the JVA headquarters in Tokyo last Monday.

Under the program, Japan men’s team will have friendly exhibition matches with the Philippine squad before the Volleyball Nations League, which the country will be hosting again in June next year.

Japan’s beach volleyball teams will have a winter training camp at Club Laiya in Batangas from January to February, while the Philippine squads will train at the Toyota Center in Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture from February to March.

The Philippines’ indoor teams are also scheduled to attend training camps with Japanese university or club teams for two weeks in April.

“This collaborative partnership of PNVF with JVA helps underline the FIVB’s initiatives under its Empowerment Commission, to strengthen national training programs of different federations through knowledge transfer and sharing of best practices,” said Suzara, who is the appointed secretary of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Empowerment Commission. (PNA)