PVL president Ricky Palou confirmed that Alas Pilipinas will only receive its full roster after PVL teams are eliminated, as national pool members remain committed to their clubs until November 30.
PVL president Ricky Palou clarified the status of Alas Pilipinas Women’s training and roster preparations heading into the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Palou said that the national team reinforcements will only be made available once their clubs are eliminated from the ongoing 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference.
Palou confirmed that team owners have agreed to a uniform policy for national pool members currently playing in the league.
“When the teams are eliminated, if they have players in the national pool, they will be released to the national team. But until they get eliminated, they’ll keep on playing for the team,” he said. “So after November 30, everybody will be released.”
Current training setup of Alas Women
With the league running until the end of the month, Alas Women have been operating on a limited training schedule depending on each player’s club commitments.
Based on training photos, only a handful of players have joined training in preparation for the SEA Games, as compared to Alas Men, who are currently in Taiwan as part of their tournament preparations.
“Normally, those still playing train on Sunday and Monday. Depende na sa players kung gusto lang sumipot doon,” Palou explained.
[ALSO READ: Alas Men to start Spikers’ Turf campaign, exit mid-conference for SEA Games build-up]
Lending of players to national team
As for lending players, Palou emphasized that it ultimately remains the team owners’ call, since athletes remain under PVL contracts.
“It’s up to them if they want to lend or not,” he said. “We’re encouraging them to support the national team because if we win, it’s good for the league. Pero we’re not forcing them. Sana pahiram nila.”
The PVL chief also revealed that the federation has yet to submit an updated list of the national pool, adding that the initial 20-woman pool released weeks ago has already been altered.
“We have not received the roster yet. We’re waiting for that,” said Palou.
“Nagpalit ulit sila. They removed some and added some. I understand Gagate is not in the pool now, pero in the first pool nandun siya,” he added.
The 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference is set to end on November 30, while the 2025 SEA Games will begin on December 9. The Alas Women will first compete on December 11.
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.