THE Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) and Premier Volleyball League (PVL) will stage a joint invitational tryout for aspiring Alas Pilipinas Women players in what is seen as a reboot for the national team program.
Instead of sticking with and building on the current national team core, both parties have thrown the doors wide open for top talents from the PVL, UAAP, NCAA and other collegiate leagues.
READ PNVF, PVL searching for ways to ease Alas schedule conflicts
They billed the move as a ‘unified pathway’ to discover and groom the country’s best for international duty.
“This partnership marks a major step forward for Philippine volleyball, forging stronger ties between the national, professional, and collegiate programs,” read the joint statement released Friday.
“Together, the PNVF and PVL are fully committed to developing elite athletes, creating more opportunities, and securing a brighter future for the sport in the country.”
Full details of the tryout, including dates, venue, and registration process, will be announced soon, the statement said.
This also serves as the first big move under newly-installed PNVF president and concurrent PVL honcho Tony Boy Liao, who took the reins at the start of the year from the controversial Ramon 'Tats' Suzara.
It remains to be seen whether this tryout signals a full reset of the existing Alas Pilipinas Women lineup or simply an expansion of the pool.
Unlike the Tim Cone-led Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball program which has deliberately kept its pool compact for continuity, the Alas Women seem headed toward a broader, more inclusive approach.
Whether this ‘open-door’ policy delivers elite results or just a bigger roster on paper remains to be seen.
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