Manila: The upcoming Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association (MPVA) men's league aims to discover talents who will represent the country in international tournaments.
According to Philippines News Agency, the league, scheduled to begin around the first week of October, is a brainchild of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and Strong Group Athletics chair Frank Lao. Ian Laurel, president of organizer Volleyball Masters of the Philippines, stated that the inaugural conference will feature eight teams with 18 players using the home-and-away format.
Out of the 18 players, 12 should be homegrown players, which means that they are either living, studying, or playing in the local government unit (LGU) they wish to represent. "We are taking a different approach this time because we want our teams to have more players coming from the grassroots level. Aside from helping these players get exposure, we are also helping the federation discover more talents who can be part of the national pool," Laurel said in a news release Saturday.
Men's volleyball drew some interest when the national team bagged a silver medal at the 30th Manila Southeast Asian Games in 2019. The Philippines dethroned four-time defending champion Thailand in the semifinals before losing to Indonesia in the gold-medal match. However, the momentum wasn't sustained, and male spikers were left without a league at the grassroots level.
"That's why we're forming this league," Laurel said. "We believe in the talent of our male players, and we are confident that they can display their talents before a huge crowd in their respective LGUs. This is our way of helping the federation promote volleyball, especially men's volleyball, at the grassroots level."
More teams and possible expansion to the Visayas and Mindanao are being planned after the inaugural season. "For our inaugural conference, we'll be having an eight-team tournament. But by next year, we'll make it big as we expand to the Visayas and Mindanao-just like the ongoing MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League)," Laurel said. "As you know, the bigger the tournament, the more athletes we can help get discovered and developed. And it will surely be a major boost to Philippine volleyball."
