By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Strong Group Athletics is set to take over the franchise of the Gerflor Defenders in the upcoming Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 2024 season.
It was PVL President Ricky Palou who gave the major update and gave Strong Group owner Frank Lao the flowers he deserved after notifying his willingness to put up a second team in the league.
last November 2023, Gerflor was in deep trouble after a series of complaints revealed that they failed to pay their players’ salaries for the last three months.
In the league’s statement last November 9, 2023, the PVL confirmed that they already kicked off the investigation and would look into the root cause of the complaints.
“Rest assured, we are committed to conducting a thorough and fair inquiry into the matter, ensuring that both the team’s representatives and the players involved will have an opportunity to be heard,” read the statement.
The PHL volleyball community was a hot topic last year after a random post from Reddit posted allegations against Gerflor.
The post said that the franchise has yet to pay their players’ salaries for three months despite the team still seeing action in the PVL.
Several Gerflor players then hinted that the allegations were true after confirming their side in different interviews.
With Strong Group now taking over the franchise, the Defenders will look to bounce back from that demoralizing conference and prove that they belong in the PVL.
“Putting up a second team in the Premier Volleyball League is a no-brainer for us. The PVL has been a consistent source of entertainment for fans of all ages, and we are excited to contribute to the league in whatever way we can,” said Lao.
