The Premier Volleyball League will stage its season-ending Reinforced Conference later this year come hell or high water.
League organizer Sports Vision president Ricky Palou assured that the import-laden tournament will push through with or without foreign guest players after the Philippine National Volleyball Federation issued a memo recommending the PVL “to refrain from contracting foreign guest players required to undergo the International Transfer Certificate procedure for 2023.”
Foreign guest players are required to secure their ITCs to see action in the Reinforced Conference or the league’s last of three conferences per season.
The PVL had a meeting with the 11 member-clubs to talk about the development on Thursday.
“We discussed this with the team managers and they’re going to go back with their principals, the owners of the clubs, and then get back to us,” Palou said.
“We need a couple of days. By next week we’ll know what the plans are but we definitely will have a third conference with or without the imports.”
Daily Tribune obtained a copy of the antedated PNVF memo signed by federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara.
The letter dated 24 June called out the PVL for operating within the National Team period from 16 May to 15 October without due authorization.
PNVF cited Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Article 6.1.1.b of the FIVB Sports Regulations 2022 stating that “National Leagues may operate during this time only subject to the approval of the FIVB.”
The sports’ local governing body said the PVL has scheduled its season and conferences within the stipulated National Team season “without due and express authorization.”
PVL is currently staging the mid-season Invitational Conference wrapping up on 30 July.
The PNVF recommended the league to refrain from tapping foreign guest players and “requests originating from PVL member teams shall not be processed.”
Palou, however, remains optimistic that the issue will be resolved once the league and the PNVF open a dialogue, especially with representatives of the FIVB flying in for the country’s hosting of the Volleyball Nations League next week.
“I think everything can be resolved. We just have to sit down and (talk) about all the problems and issues and then come up with a decision,” Palou, a PNVF board member, said.
“By the end of next week. After the VNL, everything’s gonna be final because there will be FIVB (representatives) coming over so I think the idea of Tats (Suzara) is we should all sit down together and work out something.”
Palou clarified that the ongoing tournament where a couple of foreign clubs will come in for the semifinals won’t be affected by the issue.
“Tats was saying that there is a letter from the FIVB saying we can proceed with this conference but they won’t issue ITC for the third conference or the Reinforced Conference. I told them maybe we can talk things out especially with FIVB (members) coming here,” he said.
Palou said that member-clubs are not concerned about the looming possibility of not having foreign players in the Reinforced Conference.
“They are not (worried). For them, with or without imports, we’ll have a third conference. What they really want is exposure. So they really want a conference whether there are imports or not, I’m sure they will want to go on,” he said.
