Philippine volleyball counted 36 years before a national women’s volleyball team could make a grand return in the Asian Games.

Those were more than three decades of leadership turmoil, inefficient handling of the sport federation that led to the dissolution of the old federation, the formation of the Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas, Inc. (LVPI), and the rise of two rival leagues which jolted the sport from dormancy.

And now that a new team was formed, with the stars of the Philippine Superliga (PSL) and the Philippine Volleyball League (PVL) making up its core, the Philippines’ deputy chief of mission to the Asiad Robert Bachmann said they will definitely endorse the national team’s inclusion in the roster.

That is after a fruitful meeting with ranking executives of the LVPI the other night.

He said he was greatly impressed with the federation’s roadmap that would kick off with a strong performance in the Asian Games and culminate with a podium finish when the country hosts the 30th Southeast Asian Games next year.

Based on LVPI’s blueprint, returning to prominence is very possible.

Aside from the thrice-a-day training session, members of the national pool will also compete in the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Invitational Conference starting June 23 before plunging into a two-week training in Japan on Aug. 2.

From there, they would march to the Asian Games in Jakarta starting Aug. 20.

The national pool would take a breather, but will reconvene to join a handful of invitational tournaments abroad in preparation for the AVC Asian U23 Women’s Championship, AVC Asian Senior Women’s Championship and the SEA Games next year.

Bachmann said he likes where the program is headed in the next couple of years.

“They presented it to me clearly and I’m impressed with what they explained,” said Bachmann, adding that he would present the volleyball squad’s entry before the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) executive council together with other members of the national delegation.

LVPI vice president Peter Cayco extended his gratitude to Bachmann and Asian Games chief of mission Richard Gomez, saying they would do their best to sustain the program and deliver their promise of winning a medal in the SEA Games.

“We want to thank them for giving us a chance,” said Cayco, who is in charge of the national team program.

“The Asian Games play a crucial role in our program because after that, we’ll have the AVC Asian Cup and a couple of invitational tournaments abroad. So, we’ll do our best to come up with a strong finish (in the Asian Games) to gain momentum for other international tournaments,” he said.

This will be the first time for the country to see action in the Asian Games after the 1982 edition in New Delhi.

But its participation nearly crashed after some quarters in the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) said the squad has a zero chance at winning a medal in the prestigious continental meet.

Bachmann said it is important for them to send the women’s volleyball team.

“More than the sport’s growing popularity, I believe that the program is focused on winning a medal in the next SEA Games. So why don’t we give them a chance?”

“The sport will greatly suffer if we don’t send them,” he said.