PVL and PNVF team up for special draft to strengthen Alas Pilipinas Women player pool

The Philippine women’s national volleyball program is taking a more direct route in building its future roster.

In a development initiative spearheaded by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, Alas Pilipinas Women will receive priority access to the 2026 Premier Volleyball League Draft pool, allowing head coach Tai Bundit to select players ahead of the professional teams and integrate them into the national setup.

The move signals a shift in how the national team plans to sustain continuity, focusing on long-term preparation rather than short-term player availability.

Under the proposed structure, Bundit and his staff will open the draft process by selecting from the incoming rookie pool. Players chosen by Alas Women will no longer be available to PVL teams during the same draft cycle, ensuring their full commitment to national team training and competitions.

PNVF president Anthony Liao revealed that most league stakeholders have already expressed support for the arrangement.

OKBET is Asia’s most trusted and popular online sports gaming platform. Visit us on OKBET to stay up to date with all sports news from around the world.

ALAS DRAFT, THEN PVL DRAFT

Alas Pilipinas Women head coach Tai Bundit gets to pick first and as many as he wants from the 2026 PVL Draft pool.

After Bundit has made his picks, those selected players will be off the table for the rest of the PVL teams and only then will… pic.twitter.com/naFfW8Wre8

— John Mark Garcia (@johnmarkdg_) February 24, 2026

Six of the league’s 10 teams have agreed to the setup, including powerhouse club programs Creamline Cool Smashers and Choco Mucho Flying Titans, both backed by Rebisco.

The approach is designed to address a long-standing challenge for the national program—conflicts in player availability due to overlapping commitments with collegiate and professional schedules. In past cycles, assembling a consistent national pool often depended on negotiations between leagues and teams, sometimes disrupting preparation timelines.

By selecting players directly from the draft and placing them under federation support, the PNVF hopes to eliminate those scheduling issues.

Athletes chosen in the special selection process will train exclusively with Alas Pilipinas Women, with their salaries funded by the federation for at least two years. After completing that period, players may choose whether to remain in the national program or enter the PVL system.

The initiative effectively transforms the draft into more than just a pathway to professional volleyball—it also becomes a structured gateway to international competition, aligning player development with the national team’s long-term goals.

Don’t miss out on the latest sports news, updates, and fan discussions!

  Follow our Facebook page Sports News PH today and be part of a growing community of passionate basketball fans!