THEY finally did it.
I read at tiebreakertimes.com that Sports Vision will rename Shakey’s V-League (SVL) to Philippine V-League starting next year.
According to the report Sports Vision president Ricky Palou said the league will change its name effective during its 14th season which unreels in March, 2017. He added that the name change is actually just one of the many changes to be made by the league that started it all.
This news hasn’t made as much noise (yet) as it deserves but this is like a shot fired across the bow of the Philippine Super Liga.
This means the PVL can now entertain big corporations because it will do away with the self-limiting name of the league to a name which welcomes everyone.
A giant corporation like Petron will likely not join a league named after a fast-food company, regardless of how successful and prestigious it is, but it will not be averse to joining a national volleyball league.
Another important development is that PVL will start its 2017 season in March with the import-spiced Reinforced Conference instead of launching the season with the Open Conference which has been its practice these past years.
Now personally I think this is a great marketing strategy.
While competition is probably most emotional when the school-based UAAP and NCAA teams are at the forefront you have to admit that the casual fans are most attracted to watch when the lily-white, blonde, long-legged, beautiful (mostly) foreign imports take the floor.
As in basketball parlance the PVL will start with its first five. In this case the conference with the bigger-than-life imports from the Americas, Thailand maybe European countries. The Open Conference will follow in July.
The Sports Vision president said they want the Collegiate Conference to be held close to the start of the UAAP and NCAA, which are usually held late in the year.
This not only benefits the PVL but also benefits the school teams because it will help them prepare for their school’s regular competition.
A great example of this is the San Beda Lady Red Spikers. San Beda’s ladies team has never even made it to the Final Four of the NCAA. In the present NCAA competition the San Beda ladies squad is a legitimate title contender after competition in the SVL prepared them for the NCAA wars.
Another welcome development is that there will be competition for men. The Spikers’ Turf male competition will be integrated into the regular calendar in 2017.
Palou said the men’s league has shown a lot of promise and that Sports Vision will definitely keep it in the annual calendar.
Finally, for me the most welcome development is that Shakey’s will remain as presenting or a major sponsor. This is good news indeed because after all, the partnership between Shakey’s and Sports Vision has been successful for more than a decade.
From the “Shakey’s V-League” into “V-League Presented by Shakey’s.” Pwede.
★★★★★
The biggest asset of the PVL is its track record of success and excellence over the years. With the name change I expect the league to become even bigger than ever before.
While Shakey’s provided the league stability with its sponsorship it also meant that big corporations like Petron or RC Cola will probably not be joining anytime soon because of the league’s name.
Like an armor the name Shakey’s V-League protected and provided stability. But it also limited any potential for growth. With the name change to Philippine V-League I expect big corporations to now join the league that started it all.
The second biggest asset of PVL I believe is the tie-up with ABS-CBN with V-league games broadcast over the network’s S+A free channel.
Not only does ABS-CBN provide excellent coverage they also have the marketing expertise and clout to promote their programs so that they don’t only get maximum viewership but they are also able to take full advantage of all opportunities to gain sponsors.
They just have to find a way to fit the PVL games in between the UAAP and NCAA basketball and volleyball games.