Prime Volleyball League (PVL), earlier known as Pro Volleyball League, (re)starts on Saturday (February 5) at the Gachibowli indoor stadium in Hyderabad after a two-year hiatus due to a court battle that went in favour of the Baseline Ventures, the promoters of the PVL.
Now, the league is completely private with no involvement of the federation.
“We know that for the past 75-odd years sports have been run by the federations; some well but mostly not very well,” said Joy Bhattacharjya, PVL CEO.
“The job of the federations is to build the sports at the grassroots, create national teams. But they must give other people the opportunity to take the game to the masses because very often they are not the best people to do that.
Agencies“The PVL is trying to take a game, which is very popular worldwide, easy to play in a limited area and already has a great base in India, to the masses.
“This is also a great opportunity for the private players to look up and say, ‘If a federation can’t always do a sport well, there is always an opportunity to do a private league, bring in marketing brains and try and create a product that people will watch and enjoy. So, it’s a journey not just for volleyball but also for Indian sport,” he added.
Participants
Five of the six teams — Ahmedabad Defenders, Calicut Heroes, Chennai Blitz, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Kochi Blue Spikers — that participated in the Pro Volleyball League are back, along with two new entrants, Bengaluru Torpedoes and Kolkata Thunderbolts.
The unique feature of the PVL is its ownership structure. Unlike other leagues in India, the team owners are also part of the ownership group of the league, along with Baseline. It would keep, Joy said, the non-serious people away.
“This is how leagues like the NBA are run. …you have long-term commitment from people. Otherwise what happens is you have a guy who comes in for a year or two, doesn’t like it or has got his fill of being shown on TV, has got the accolade, but now he doesn’t have the appetite to spend the long term money,” Joy said.
“The problem in sports is… nobody makes money in year one. You have to invest over 3, 4, 5 years. The great thing about sport is once you do that investment and the league takes off, then the returns are absolutely unimaginable. But in the beginning you need owners who have that faith and belief to stay there for the next 3 to 5 years.
“Instead of having one managing committee, we actually have seven very competent people. All these people are here because they are running competent businesses themselves. Their help makes the league even bigger. It’s a win-win both ways. You have stability and a supportive brain trust. And that has been a huge help.”
Bio-Bubble
The 2019 edition was a success, if the sellout crowds in the final in Chennai was an indicator. And lots of learning. Though the tournament was folded after the first edition, the organisers realised the league model worked.
However, unlike 2019, this year’s league is being played in just one city and behind closed doors, thanks to Covid-19. All the teams are staying in a bio-bubble.
“It’s the reality of life that we all have to face,” Joy said.
“…the teams and the broadcasters are in two separate bubbles. There is limited contact between the two but there is zero contact from the outside world.
“It’s tough. I can never say these things are perfect but this is the only way. It’s really important for us. We hope it works.”
No spectators
Volleyball might not have as big a following as cricket in India but It has a strong following outside the metro cities. That’s probably the reason spikers are not used to playing without spectators.
“This is new for us. We have never played without the spectators,” Hyderabad Black Hawks Captain Vipul Kumar said.
“It will feel like we are practicing but it won’t have any effect on the game because you have to play to win and you have to give it everything. Yea, you get extra motivation from the spectators but let’s see how we manage without that.”
But Kochi Blue Spikers’ American attacker Colton Cowell differs.
“I think it does affect performance,” he said.
“I also think it tests the level of camaraderie between teammates because the energy must be generated organically on the court. And that will be on display which team has developed the highest level of camaraderie and brotherhood as they compete.”
The Clash
Interestingly, the VFI has decided to hold its national volleyball championship, in Bhubaneswar, from February 7 to 13 to set up a direct clash with PVL, which runs from February 5 to 27.
“The Indian team for the Asian Games will be selected from the Bhubaneswar National,” VFI’s secretary-general Anil Choudhary was quoted as saying by ‘Sportstar’.
And the VFI will not hold selection trials for the PVL stars, effectively shutting the doors of the Indian team for the league participants.
Joy wasn’t surprised, though.
“The calling of the national championship at exactly the same time as PVL for which the dates were announced much earlier, didn’t come as a surprise to us,” he said.
“All I want to say is that as many people as can play volleyball and get a chance to show their skill is best for the players. Finally, at the end of the day, the more opportunities for the players the better it is.”
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