By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) recently announced that an All-Filipino Conference will be treating thousands of Filipino volleyball enthusiasts this coming October 16, 2023.
According to PVL president Ricky Palou, the league will be reverting to the All-Filipino leg as the Reinforced Conference will be hard to achieve given the limited period of time.
Palou also reiterated that the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) blocked the PVL’s request for International Transfer Certificates (ITC), the major requirement that a foreign import will need to play in another professional league.
If an import can’t acquire an ITC, he/she can’t join the league that requested the documents, thus, leaving the PVL a deep void in preparing for the Reinforced Conference.
Despite the absence of the Reinforced Conference, the PVL and the Filipino volleyball fans were still delighted with the excitement that the Invitational Conference brought a week ago.
During the conference, the foreign guest squad Kurashiki Ablaze dethroned the Creamline Cool Smashers during the grand finals.
Days after the championship series, Kurashiki announced that they will be willing to return to the PHL and defend their crown in the next Invitational Conference.
“We’re very happy with the results of the first two conferences. They exceeded our expectations, especially the Invitational Conference,” said Palou.
The upcoming All-Filipino Conference will still be highlighted by the 12 main teams including the newcomers: Gerflor, Farm Fresh, and Foton.
“We’re looking at 12 teams. We have received feelers asking if they could join. But one of the league’s conditions is whether it will be for the long-term since we want those coming in to commit to stay with the league for the long-term,” added Palou.
