MANILA, Philippines – On July 6, the Premier Volleyball League will have its inaugural Rookie Draft, a historic occasion intended to improve the competitive balance of the league and strengthen club rosters with new talent.

Following another successful PVL All-Filipino Conference, in which Creamline defeated Choco Mucho to win its eighth overall and fourth consecutive AFC championship, this event took place.

Member teams will be able to choose players who have never played in the league through the draft process. The order of selection will be decided by a lottery for the first round and a reverse ranking based on the AFC standings for the following rounds.

The teams are rated as follows: Petro Gazz, Chery Tiggo, PLDT, Cignal, Akari, Nxled, Farm Fresh, Galeries Tower, Capital1, and Strong Group, after Creamline and Choco Mucho.

Preventing bidding wars between teams for players and fostering a more equitable acquisition procedure are two of the draft’s main objectives.

The draft lottery also aims to deter “tanking,” or purposefully losing games in order to obtain a better draft pick, by not giving the worst-performing club the first pick inherently.

In the June 24 lottery, Strong Group will have a 40% chance of winning the first choice; Capital1 will have a 30% chance, Galeries a 20% chance, and Farm Fresh a 10% chance.

Teams in the AFC standings from 8th to 1st will select from 5th to 12th in decreasing order.

The team with the weakest record will choose first in the second and following rounds, in reverse order of the AFC rankings.

“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,” stated Sherwin Malonzo, commissioner of the PVL.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old by December 31, 2024, to be eligible for the draft; academic or collegiate playing experience is not required.

Foreign candidates who are Filipino must get a Philippine passport prior to the May 31 deadline for submitting the draft eligibility requirements. Filipino-foreign candidates may submit a birth certificate issued in the Philippines in place of a Philippine passport.

Teams in the AFC standings from 8th to 1st will select from 5th to 12th in decreasing order.

The team with the weakest record will choose first in the second and following rounds, in reverse order of the AFC rankings.

“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,” stated Sherwin Malonzo, commissioner of the PVL.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old by December 31, 2024, to be eligible for the draft; academic or collegiate playing experience is not required.

Foreign candidates who are Filipino must get a Philippine passport prior to the May 31 deadline for submitting the draft eligibility requirements. Filipino-foreign candidates may submit a birth certificate issued in the Philippines in place of a Philippine passport.

The draft lottery is scheduled after the conclusion of the application period, and the first list of applicants will be made public on June 14.

Within fifteen calendar days after being picked in the draft, players must accept qualifying offers from their teams. A minimum three-year contract must be provided to first-round selections; contracts for second and subsequent rounds must be offered for at least one year. Teams that sign undrafted athletes have to offer them a contract good for at least one conference.

All applicants must attend the two-day PVL Rookie Draft Combine prior to the draft. Coaches and authorities will be watching physical measurements, medical examinations, interviews, athletic testing, and scrimmages during the event.

Physical exams include vertical leaps, shuttle runs, and flexibility tests; measurements include height, weight, wingspan, and more. Tests of skills assess blocking, receiving, setting, spiking, and digging.

The dates of the Rookie Draft Combine are set for June 25–26.

Performance in the Combine will have a big impact on how applicants are judged and chosen, making sure the most talented candidates are found and picked.