The Philippines’ first professional volleyball tournament is slated to kick off on July 17 as the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) secured approval from the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and the Ilocos Norte local government.

“We’re elated that we will be able to start the first professional season of the league,” said PVL president Ricky Palou on Thursday, July 8.

“We are grateful to Governor Matthew Manotoc for hosting us, and to the Games and Amusements Board, headed by Chairman Baham Mitra, for licensing us.”

The PVL Open Conference will be held in a bubble setup in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

“The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte has stepped up our sports tourism potential by hosting the training bubbles of various national sports teams to aid the stable recovery of our province,” said Manotoc.

Recently, the province hosted the national beach volleyball team’s training in Pagudpud, while other Philippine teams are currently training in Laoag as well.

Since the league officially took over the Shakey’s V-League in 2017, the Creamline Cool Smashers have copped three conference titles, led by national team stalwarts Alyssa Valdez, Jia Morado, and Jema Galanza.

But out to challenge them are powerhouse squads from rival league Philippine Superliga F2 Logistics and Chery Tiggo, which made their move to the PVL last March.

Ten teams will vie for the country’s maiden professional volleyball title.

The league had aimed to start in April 2021, but the spike in COVID-19 cases led to tighter restrictions. – Rappler.com