Getting ‘strong’ backing, grassroots volley league targets massive field

The National Grassroots Volleyball League (NGVL) is looking to double its reach in its second season, targeting 200 teams as it continues its push to give young Filipino players a structured pathway to national competition.

After opening with nearly 100 teams and around 2,500 players and coaches, the league hopes to bring in more school- and club-based programs from across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao while strengthening participation from Filipino volleyball communities overseas.

And the league has found a strong partner in Frank Lao, owner of Strong Group Athletics, which has carved its own niche in basketball and volleyball.

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“Grassroots is not optional if we want Philippine volleyball to grow,” said Lao. “The talent has always been there in the provinces and the barrios. What’s been missing is the structure to develop it early and the platforms to keep it visible nationally.”

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The league’s inaugural season featured teams from across the Philippines as well as Filipino communities in New Zealand and Dubai, an expansion that exceeded organizers’ expectations.

Team from Down Under

“We didn’t expect our first year to already reach players outside the Philippines,” NGVL president Yvette Katigbak-Ambrocio said. “That told us the appetite for this kind of grassroots competition isn’t just local. It’s part of a bigger Filipino sporting identity wherever our players happen to be.”

“We’re grateful to sir Frank Lao for believing in this mission,” she added.

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New Zealand’s Filspikerz Volleyball Club and Dubai’s Filipino Volleyball Athlete Development are set to return for Season 2, while Australia’s Future Elite Volleyball Association is expected to join the field.

Organizers are also exploring the staging of qualifiers in Dubai, where around 20 teams from the United Arab Emirates and neighboring Gulf countries are being eyed for participation.

“If they’re able to run their own qualifiers, that’s not just participation—it’s ownership of the league’s mission happening organically within the Filipino community there,” Katigbak-Ambrocio said.

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Registration opens in August.

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