Here come the Chameleons: Akari lights up PVL with NXLED

Akari management will decide which players from the Chargers will form the core of the Chameleons. —UAAP MEDIA

As if the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) wasn’t bright enough, Akari management decided to add more lights to the pro league by signing up the NXLED Chameleons as the 12th professional team ahead of the season-ending All-Filipino Conference in October.

“We would like to thank the PVL for accepting NXLED as the newest team in the country’s only professional volleyball league. We hope to build a competitive NXLED team and also look forward to having a stronger partnership with Ricky Palou and the whole PVL organization,” said Akari sports director Russel Balbacal in a statement on Thursday.

No plans were revealed yet as to the composition of the roster of the Chameleons but Inquirer sources bared that the new team will follow the path taken by returning squad Foton, which siphoned off players from sister team Chery Tiggo to form the core of its roster when it rejoined the league last conference.

Chery Tiggo made the same move before the Invitationals, shipping Shaya Adorador, Jasmine Nabor, Seth Rodriguez and four other former Crossovers to the Tornadoes.

Recruitment

NXLED is expected to grow its squad from players taken from the Akari Chargers, which is composed of some of the best young stars in the league today.

Separate sources also revealed to the Inquirer that Akari management is also busy recruiting from the collegiate ranks, including powerhouse La Salle, to bolster its lineup and allow the Chargers to funnel players to NXLED.

NXLED is a sub-brand of Akari Lighting and Technology Corporation and will join rookie squads Gerflor, Foton and Farm Fresh.

NXLED and Akari will be the fourth pair of sister teams in the PVL, joining Rebisco’s Creamline and Choco Mucho, Manny V. Pangilinan teams Cignal and PLDT and Chery Tiggo and Foton.

The third conference will mark the first-year anniversary of the Akari Chargers in the PVL after debuting in the Reinforced Conference in 2022.

PVL president Ricky Palou already hinted last week that they are open to expanding the league to 12 teams as long as the squad will be committed for the long haul.