MANILA -- The Premier Volleyball League is in talks with "a few companies" who are interested in joining the competition, a top official confirmed on Wednesday.
The PVL is down to 10 teams after the exit of Chery Tiggo in December and Petro Gazz earlier in January.
But that may change soon, as PVL President Ricky Palou said some companies "have expressed interest in joining the league."
"Dalawa nga, Cebu-based," he told ABS-CBN News at the sidelines of the league's press conference in Ortigas. "But we're not just gonna let them come in that easy.
"We have to also study what capabilities they have, will they be able to stay with the league for a longer period of time … If they're financially capable of maintaining a team that long," he added. "Those are the things we're looking at right now."
"But there are applicants," he stressed.
READ: Chery Tiggo announces exit from PVL
READ: Petro Gazz takes leave of absence; Angels now free agents
Palou said they can welcome new teams as soon as the next conference. He also acknowledged that the door remains open for Petro Gazz, which said that it is taking a "leave of absence" from the PVL shortly after winning the 2025 Reinforced Conference.
The exit of two storied franchises is a cause for concern, Palou admitted. Chery Tiggo had been the first champion in the PVL's professional era, winning the Open Conference crown during the "bubble" in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte in 2021. Before its leave of absence, Petro Gazz had been a perennial contender, even featuring one of the league's top players in Brooke Van Sickle.
A handful of teams have exited the PVL since it turned pro in 2021, raising questions regarding the sustainability of maintaining a franchise.
"Internally, we've been discussing some issues on how we can do to actually help the teams," said Palou. "We know it is getting more expensive for the teams to keep up, keep their teams together.
"I understand teams are now spending like … P60, P75-million a year in maintaining a team," he revealed. "To us, this is a concern. We'd like to have the teams reduce the expenses and right now we're in talks on how to do this."
In the meantime, the PVL continues to coordinate with Petro Gazz on how they can continue to be part of the league.
"They still want to be part of the league," Palou stressed. "So we're in talks with them on possible sponsorships. They're willing to still be involved in the activities of the league."