MANILA, May 25 ------ The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) will hold its first-ever Rookie Draft in July as it looks to allow its teams to welcome new talent while also maintaining competitive balance among its squads. "Drafts are the great equalizer in pro leagues. This season, we will hold our first-ever draft with guidelines influenced by some of the top leagues in the world," said PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo."We are hoping for a huge turnout for the inaugural class of the PVL draft. This is an exciting moment for our league as we take a significant step forward in elevating the level of competition and providing more opportunities for talented athletes." "We look forward to seeing the new talent that will emerge and make their mark in the PVL," he added.
Scheduled on July 6, players who have not previously competed in the league will have the chance to be selected by the PVL’s 12 teams, and the order of selection is to be determined by a lottery for the first round and a reverse ranking based on the previous AFC standings for subsequent rounds. After Creamline and Choco Mucho who were the Finalists in the recently-concluded All-Filipino Conference, the teams are ranked as follows: Petro Gazz, Chery Tiggo, PLDT, Cignal, Akari, Nxled, Farm Fresh, Galeries Tower, Capital1, and Strong Group.
One of the draft’s primary goals is to prevent bidding wars between teams for players, promoting a fairer acquisition process. The draft lottery is also intended to discourage “tanking” — deliberately losing games to secure a higher draft pick — by not automatically awarding the top pick to the worst-performing team. SGA will have a 40% chance of nabbing the first pick in the lottery scheduled to take place on June 24, followed by Capital1 (30%), Galeries (20%), and Farm Fresh (10%).
Teams ranked 8th to 1st in the AFC will pick fifth to 12th in descending order. The second and subsequent rounds will follow the reverse order of the AFC standings, with the team having the worst record picking first. Eligibility for the draft requires applicants to be at least 21 years old by Dec. 31, 2024, with no necessity for collegiate playing experience or academic qualifications. Filipino-foreign applicants must secure a Philippine passport before the deadline for submission of draft eligibility requirements on May 31. In place of a Philippine passport, Filipino-foreign applicants may submit a birth certificate issued in the Philippines.
Key dates:
• May 31 - Deadline for Draft Application, Draft Lottery
• June 12 - Last day for withdrawal of Draft Application
• June 14 - Initial list of draftees
• June 25-26 - Rookie Draft Combine
• July 6 - PVL Draft proper
Players selected in the draft must receive qualifying offers from their teams within 15 calendar days. First-round picks must be offered a minimum three-year contract, while second and later rounds require a minimum one-year pact. Undrafted players signed by teams must receive at least a one-conference contract. On the other hand, the Draft Combine, a two-day event before the draft, is mandatory for all applicants. The event includes physical measures, medical tests, interviews, athletic tests, and scrimmages, all observed by coaches and officials.
Measurements include height, weight, wingspan, and more, while physical tests cover vertical jumps, shuttle runs, and flexibility assessments. Skill tests evaluate spiking, blocking, serving, receiving, setting, and digging. Performance in the Combine will significantly influence the evaluation and selection of the applicants, ensuring that the most promising talents are identified and drafted. All applicants must fill up an online form at https://pvl.ph/draft. All additional requirements and documents must be sent to draft@pvl.ph.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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