Valdez, Madayag: Deals between PVL sister teams not harmful right now

Maddie Madayag                                                                                    Alyssa Valdez—PHOTOS FROM PVL

The PVL is set to establish rules on trades between sister teams by the midseason conference in response to the player movements that transpired during this offseason.

But Maddie Madayag and Alyssa Valdez, who are playing for sister teams Choco Mucho and Creamline, respectively, offered a different perspective, saying that the shipping of players will be helpful in elevating the game in the country.

READ: PVL looks to address player tampering to preserve league harmony

“I think it’s more of for the volleyball community as a whole,” Madayag said when asked about the trades during a team sponsor event recently. “The competition will rise and it’s for the benefit of all teams, knowing that we are kind of not there yet when it comes to competing against other countries.”

Familiarity

The sister teams orchestrated trades among themselves that saw Creamline, who only lost Ced Domingo to Akari, acquire former Flying Titan captain Bea de Leon and Denden Lazaro-Revilla. The player additions, despite being beneficial, still pose a challenge for the already established system of the multititled Cool Smashers who rely on familiarity among teammates.

“I think every year, we need a new challenge, new competition. And this is the challenge that I feel like will give us excitement anew—not only us players, but also all the fans, all the volleyball community which is very nice,” Valdez, a former Most Valuable Player awardee, said.

READ: No trades between PVL sister teams under new rules—Palou

“We’re still banking on [familiarity]. Bea and Den have been training with us and really adjusting to the system of Coach Sherwin (Meneses),” Valdez added.

Following the All-Filipino Conference that will raise the curtains for the new season, the PVL will introduce the brand new Reinforced Invitational that combines the invitation of foreign guest players while also inviting two foreign teams to the league to compete for the crown.

By then, the PVL will have already implemented the planned trade rules. It will also come up with the Rookie Draft guidelines and a salary cap to ensure fair play among the teams as previously reported by the Inquirer.