The Premier Volleyball League will bring back the Reinforced Conference next year after being forced to scrap the tournament this season following a ban on acquiring foreign guest players.
But the league is sticking to its original calendar of staging the import-laden tournament in the fourth quarter of 2024 as its season-ending conference.
League organizer Sports Vision president Ricky Palou explained that moving the Reinforced Conference early next year is not a viable option as member clubs may find it hard to book high-caliber foreign guest players.
“We probably have to reschedule it for the third conference next year,” Palou said.
“The problem is that if we hold it in the first conference around January or February, teams will have a hard time getting imports because most of them would have already been booked or have already committed to other leagues.”
Holding the competition in October is the perfect time to acquire imports as it coincides with the end of the so-called ‘national team period.’
The October to May window of staging tournaments involving foreign imports assure clubs of the availability of players, especially those who are members of their respective national teams.
“Most of the tournaments abroad are from October to May so (PVL) teams will have a hard time booking imports if we stage it early this next year, so we will still hold it in the third conference,” Palou added.
The PVL had to cancel this year’s edition of the Reinforced Conference after the Philippine National Volleyball Federation recommended the league “to refrain from contracting foreign guest players required to undergo the ITC (international transfer certificate) procedure for 2023.”
The antedated memo received by the league last 29 June served as a ‘sanction’ for scheduling its season and conference within the national team period of 16 May to 15 October, allegedly violating Article 6.1.1.b of the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Sports Regulations 2022.
The federation said the PVL operated without due authorization and that “any (ITC) requests originating from PVL member teams shall not be processed.”
Foreign guest players need to secure an ITC as part of the requirements to get a green light to play in the PVL’s Reinforced Conference.
Despite the unfortunate development, the league has decided to proceed with the third conference with a second serving of the All-Filipino Conference tentatively scheduled to unwrap on 16 or 17 October.
Last year, the PVL brought back the Reinforced Conference after a two-year pandemic hiatus.
Petro Gazz led by import Lindsey Vander Weide successfully defended its crown after sweeping Cignal in the best-of-three finals series.
