MANILA – Strong Group Athletics has signified its support for the national women's volleyball team ahead of the country's hosting of the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship in 2029.
In a statement on Wednesday, SGA "unequivocally expresses its full support" for the national team by committing its rookie draft picks for Alas Pilipinas, providing them with allowances and financial incentives.
“SGA, through its two PVL teams — ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles and the Farm Fresh Foxies — commits both its first and second-round picks in the upcoming PVL Draft to Alas Pilipinas as part of its national pool of players,” SGA wrote.
The move comes a day after the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) reaffirmed its guidelines on player entry and its policy on alignment with the national team, which reiterates that clearances from PVL clubs are needed for them to be released to Alas.
“SGA will cover all salaries, allowances and incentives of the ZUS Coffee and Farm Fresh players while they are in the service of Alas Pilipinas until the conclusion of the 2029 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship,” it said.
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READ: PNVF bares plan for Alas Pilipinas to select players at PVL Draft
The PVL earlier floated the proposal of an “Alas Pilipinas Draft” during the selection process in a bid to address player availability issues for the national team, drawing mixed reactions from the volleyball community, even from players.
The league emphasized that club approval is still necessary to release players to the national team "to ensure alignment with contractual obligations" with their respective mother clubs as well as "league regulations."