REPORTS over the weekend say two teams will join the Philippine Super Liga (PSL) when the league returns in October.
But the reports didn’t identify the new teams with PSL Chairman Dr. Philip Juico also refusing to divulge their identities. If the reports are true, then that brings the number of teams in the PSL to 10.
Who are these two teams? Where are they from? Which industry?
“One already has an existing team while the second is tied with a major conglomerate,” Dr. Juico hints.
“We will revive discussions because now is a good time to do it amid the [Covid-19] outbreak,” adds the former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). “We are really leaning towards the addition of these organizations.”
Juico furthers, “They see it as a great boost not only for the league, but for the game in general. It will make the league more competitive while providing livelihood to volleyball players.”
The addition of the two new teams will increase parity in the PSL. They will bring added value to the league and also to the PSL as an organization.
I also learned that the PSC’s return could be sooner than expected, according to league president, Dr. Ian Laurel. He stressed that they have crafted their health and safety protocols and submitted the papers to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Laurel, a medical doctor by profession, said they have created a medical oversight committee headed by Dr. Raul Alcantara to make sure that the practices of the teams would be done in a safe and healthy manner.
Alcantara, the league’s resident doctor, used to work for the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine. But his most valuable experience was a stint with the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine during the height of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in 2003.
Laurel said that with a familiar face in Alcantara, the players, coaches, team staff and even fans would definitely follow the basic health and safety protocols that would pave the way for their return to practice in the coming days and, probably, resumption of the season in October.
So, there you have it, folks, PSL will be back in October with the All-Filipino tournament. With the addition of two teams, expect the already competitive play at the PSL to be even more competitive.
“We are trying our best to talk to authorities about resuming the league, but, of course, the practices should resume before we start,” Dr. Laurel says.
“We are busy forming a medical oversight committee that would be in-charge of making sure that all safety and health protocols would be strictly followed. We are also talking to the IATF, the PSC, the GAB [Games and Amusement Board] and the DOH [Department of Health] about the possibility of restarting our training and, eventually, our games.”
The PSL’s thought process and decision-making on the resumption of its season has always been and will always be guided by medicine, science and the decision of government regulators and rules.