The Volleyball Federation of Cambodia has organized its first official international friendly matches – against Singapore and Cuba – at the Prince Stadium. This is an important opportunity for the national team to show their potential, ahead of the 32nd SEA Games, which Cambodia will host for the first time in history.

Federation secretary-general Aing Serey Piseth claimed that the places in the team are offered based on current form, not legacy. Weekly competitions are held by the coaching staff, and used to closely monitor the ability of each member of the squad.

“My current SEA Games squad of 14 features many new players who have fought their way into the team. Is this the final team? I doubt it. There is a long way to go before the games, and there are a lot of hungry players who are training hard,” he said.

The October 15 friendly against Singapore and the October 20 Cuba match may be the best opportunity for fringe players in the current 19-man squad to force their way into the final 14.

“These friendlies are definitely a change for the federation to firm up some of its games squad selections,” said Serey Piseth.

However, he added that any player could be dropped at any time, particularly if a drop in their commitment to training was observed. Conversely, there was definitely a chance for the developing players to make the step up into the final line-up.

The federation was paying particularly close attention to the selection process, as it has made public its goal of earning the Kingdom’s first gold volleyball medal. They have stood on the podium before, defeating Thailand in the bronze medal playoffs at the last games in Vietnam.

“Under the leadership of General Neth Savoeun, the National Police Commissioner, as president, and secretary of state of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports Sar Sokha as vice-president, the federation is laser focused on achieving its goal,” he said.

The Singapore team arrived on October 13 to prepare for their match, which will get underway at 7pm.

Chia Min Chong, secretary-general of the Volleyball Federation of Singapore thanked the Cambodian federation for inviting his team. He considered this an excellent chance for his players to test themselves against an in-form Cambodian side.

“I have been following the Cambodian team since 2019, when they first made an impression on me. Their 2022 bronze was a remarkable result – we look forward to testing ourselves against such a strong team. Regardless of the result, we would love to welcome them to a return match in Singapore,” he said.

When asked for his predictions as to the outcome of the match, Chong said “I think it is clear who the favourites are. When Cambodia defeated the Thais to claim bronze, they dominated the match. I would not be surprised to see them get even stronger.”