The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is now laying ground for its very first tournament as a professional league.
According to PVL president Ricky Palou, plans are in place to stage the All-Filipino Conference in either February or March 2021. He added that they are also looking into the possibility of using the “bubble” concept that the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has been seen success using during the Philippine Cup. The venue will either be the Inspire Sports Academy or Trace College in Laguna.
“The cost will be high but not as much as the PBA,” said Palou during the Philippine Sportswriters Association web forum on Tuesday. He explained that they are looking to work with a budget of P20 million.
“We are waiting for the quotations. Nothing is final yet,” Palou added.
Palou said the PVL will work on a six-week schedule, and may consider games on a daily basis to cut on cost. He said what’s good about the venues they have in mind is the presence of a competitive court.
“Everything is there. No need to travel in and out just to get to the playing venue unlike what the PBA is doing. I think that is safer,” shared Palou.
Valdez said that the “professional” tag adds another layer to what they do, which can be both rewarding and challenging at the same time.
“There’s added pressure. But at the end of the day there will be the extra push that we are now called professionals,” the former Ateneo de Manila star said.
“We the players are excited to resume practice and eventually playing soon. It’s been a while since we played volleyball,” Valdez added.
Aside from Creamline, the other teams that are expected to compete are Choco Mucho, Motolite, Petro Gazz, BanKo-Perlas, Chef's Classic, Bali Pure, Air Force and Army.
The PVL recently became the first professional volleyball league in the country after its application with the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) headed by Abraham Mitra was given the green light. Now, the PVL can look forward to greater things.
“We’re hoping that more corporations will join the PVL. That will be good for volleyball. Dadami ang teams and players. We’re open to new teams. But we’d like to limit it to maybe 10 or 12 at most,” said Palou. (JNP)