2021 Premier Volleyball League season
{{Short description|Fourth season of the Premier Volleyball League}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox sports season
| title = 2021 Premier Volleyball League
| color = #0000CD
| color_text = #FFFFFF
| league = Premier Volleyball League
| sport = Volleyball
| logo =
| pixels =
| caption =
| duration = July 17 – August 13, 2021
| TV = {{ubl|One Sports|One Sports+|Cignal TV}}
| playoffs = Conferences
| playoffs_link = Premier Volleyball League conference results
| conf1 = Open
| conf1_link = 2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference
| conf1_champ = Chery Tiggo Crossovers
| conf1_runner-up = Creamline Cool Smashers
| conf2 =
| conf2_link =
| conf2_champ =
| conf2_runner-up =
| conf3 =
| conf3_link =
| conf3_champ =
| conf3_runner-up =
| seasonslist = Template:Premier Volleyball League
| seasonslistnames = PVL
| prevseason_link = 2019 Premier Volleyball League season
| prevseason_year = 3rd, 2019
| altseason_link =
| altseason_year =
| nextseason_link = 2022 Premier Volleyball League season
| nextseason_year = 5th, 2022
}}
The 2021 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season was the fourth season of the Premier Volleyball League and the first season of the PVL as a professional league. No tournament was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 season was staged with precautionary measures.
Changes
=Professional status=
The Games and Amusements Board in October 2020 issued a directive that it would consider players compensated for non-national team play would be considered as professionals, as well as that for all sporting events organized for profit as professional in nature. This has raised concerns over the status of semi-professional leagues such as the PVL and its rival league, the PSL.{{cite news |last1=Navarro |first1=June |title=PVL, PSL, MPBL to discuss professional label with teams, lawyers |url=https://sports.inquirer.net/407216/pvl-psl-mpbl-to-discuss-professional-label-with-teams-lawyers |accessdate=October 23, 2020 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=23 October 2020 |language=en |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026221637/https://sports.inquirer.net/407216/pvl-psl-mpbl-to-discuss-professional-label-with-teams-lawyers |url-status=live }} The PVL in particular was concerned over financial aspects of running as a professional league.
In November 2020, the PVL announced that the league would turn professional starting the 2021 season,{{cite news |title=Volleyball: PVL is latest league to turn professional |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/11/12/20/volleyball-pvl-is-latest-league-to-turn-professional |accessdate=November 12, 2020 |work=ABS-CBN News |date=November 12, 2020 |language=en |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112195245/https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/11/12/20/volleyball-pvl-is-latest-league-to-turn-professional |url-status=live }} believing it has enough women players to make the move. The league was already considering to turn professional due to the collegiate league UAAP deciding to bar its rookies from playing in commercial leagues starting its UAAP Season 81 (2018–19), in anticipation that all college players would not be allowed to play in the PVL.{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Matthew |title=PVL set to turn pro |url=https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/pvl-set-to-turn-pro/195538 |accessdate=November 12, 2020 |work=Tiebreaker Times |date=12 November 2020 |language=en |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112042832/https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/pvl-set-to-turn-pro/195538 |url-status=live }} Prior to the league's professionalization, the PVL was considered as semi-professional and thus its affairs are not supervised or regulated by GAB{{cite news |last1=Reyes |first1=Marc Anthony |title=LVPI requests permission for volleyball players' training resumption |url=https://sports.inquirer.net/398183/lvpi-requests-permission-for-volleyball-players-training-resumption |accessdate=September 7, 2020 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=July 10, 2020 |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805054610/https://sports.inquirer.net/398183/lvpi-requests-permission-for-volleyball-players-training-resumption |url-status=live }} Six PVL teams - BaliPure, Banko Perlas, Choco Mucho, Creamline, Motolite and Petro Gazz - agreed with the move for PVL to turn professional.
A new separate league called the V-League, in reference to the PVL's old name, will be formed to accommodate collegiate and amateur teams which could no longer take part in the PVL due to the league's professionalization.{{cite news |last1=Olivares |first1=Rick |title=V-League to make comeback |url=https://www.philstar.com/sports/2020/11/16/2057286/v-league-make-comeback |accessdate=November 17, 2020 |work=The Philippine Star |date=November 17, 2020 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116044645/https://www.philstar.com/sports/2020/11/16/2057286/v-league-make-comeback |url-status=live }} Prior to the PVL's professionalization, it has hosted the collegiate conference.{{cite news |last1=Villar |first1=Joey |title=PVL to still welcome college players despite pro status |url=https://www.philstar.com/sports/2020/11/13/2056645/pvl-still-welcome-college-players-despite-pro-status |accessdate=November 13, 2020 |work=The Philippine Star |date=November 13, 2020 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113060920/https://www.philstar.com/sports/2020/11/13/2056645/pvl-still-welcome-college-players-despite-pro-status |url-status=live }}
=Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic=
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Premier Volleyball League had to secure permit from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) of the Philippine national government to host games.{{cite news |last1=Agcaoili |first1=Lance |title=PVL eyes February start for first conference as professional league |url=https://www.spin.ph/volleyball/pvl/pvl-eyes-february-start-for-first-conference-as-professional-league-a2522-20201117 |accessdate=18 November 2020 |work=Sports Interactive Network Philippines |date=18 November 2020 |language=en |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117125419/https://www.spin.ph/volleyball/pvl/pvl-eyes-february-start-for-first-conference-as-professional-league-a2522-20201117 |url-status=live }}
The Open conference, the only tournament of the 2021 season, was held under a "bubble" format with players and staff isolated at the playing venue.
The PVL planned to organize at least two conferences, with the second being the Reinforced Conference which allows teams to field foreign players.{{cite news |last1=Naredo |first1=Camille |title=Volleyball: PVL hopes to hold 2 conferences in 2021 |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/03/18/21/volleyball-pvl-hopes-to-hold-2-conferences-in-2021 |access-date=17 September 2021 |work=ABS-CBN News |date=18 March 2021 |language=en |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917060055/https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/03/18/21/volleyball-pvl-hopes-to-hold-2-conferences-in-2021 |url-status=live }} It was initially cancelled for the 2021 season by May 2021 due to logistical issues of bringing in foreign players due to pandemic-related travel restrictions as well as to accommodate the Philippine women's national team's preparation and participation in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games and the 2021 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Matthew |title=PVL scraps 2021 Reinforced Conf to make way for SEAG training |url=https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/pvl-scraps-2021-reinforced-conf-to-make-way-for-seag-training/207128 |access-date=3 May 2021 |work=Tiebreaker Times |date=1 May 2021 |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503091023/https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/pvl-scraps-2021-reinforced-conf-to-make-way-for-seag-training/207128 |url-status=live }} Both tournaments were later postponed to next year. The conduct of a second conference was again considered after the conclusion of the Open Conference. However such plans were again cancelled.{{cite news |title=PVL no longer pushing through with second conference this year |url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1907527/Cebu/Sports/PVL-no-longer-pushing-through-with-second-conference-this-year |access-date=17 September 2021 |work=Sunstar |date=17 September 2021 |language=English |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917054009/https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1907527/Cebu/Sports/PVL-no-longer-pushing-through-with-second-conference-this-year |url-status=live }}
Open conference
{{main|2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference}}
= Participating teams =
{{#section:2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference|2021 PVL open teams}}
= Preliminary round =
{{#section:2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference|2021 PVL open prelims}}
= Final round =
{{#section:2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference|2021 PVL open finals}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
= Final standings =
{{#section:2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference|2021 PVL open final standings}}
{{col-break}}
= Awards =
{{#section:2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference|2021 PVL open awards}}
{{col-end}}
= Player of the week =
{{#section:2021 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference|2021 PVL open pow}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box
|before = 3rd, 2019
|after = 2022, 5th
|title = Premier Volleyball League
|years = 2021
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Premier Volleyball League}}
{{Premier Volleyball League seasons}}