HYDERABAD: In a riposte to the Volleyball Federation of India, the organisers of the ongoing Prime Volleyball League (Pro Volleyball League rebadged for legal reasons) have announced a Kerala-based state volleyball league.
The proposed Kerala Premier Volleyball League will consist of teams from the districts and will be organized in the second half of the current year. The announcement of the tournament was made ahead of the second PVL semi-final match on Friday.
As is the case with Prime Volleyball League, the state league will also be exclusively marketed by Baseline Ventures, which is in an ongoing legal face-off with VFI.
Each of the teams can also select a limited number of players from another state or abroad for the volleyball league. The organizers of the Kerala Premier Volleyball League have already initiated discussions with television channels to broadcast the league. It will also be telecast on an as yet unnamed OTT platform.
Kerala has been a breeding ground for talented volleyball players for several decades and has produced many legendary volleyball players, and given the love for the sport in this state, it is only fitting for the first region-based league to begin in the state of Kerala.
Thomas Muthoot, owner of the Kochi Blue Spikers (the Kochi franchise in PVL), said: “Muthoot Pappachan Group is committed to support and promote volleyball in India. In Kerala, the sport is well connected to the grassroots and has a rich legacy of producing outstanding players for the nation. The Kerala Premier League will create a big platform for volleyball talents, especially from the state, as we believe the league to be a game changer in popularising the sport. Our association with KPL gives us another opportunity to positively influence the growth of players by providing them with a perfect platform to excel. The formation of KPL and our patronage to it is a part of our efforts to create sustainable development of volleyball in India.”
Safeer PT, MD of Beacon Infotech & Calicut Heroes (another Kerala-based PVL team) co-owner noted: “Volleyball has been one of the most popular sports in Kerala for a long time and therefore we are ecstatic to announce that the volleyball players in Kerala, especially the youngsters, will get a tremendous opportunity to showcase their skills in the Kerala Premier Volleyball League. We cannot wait to unearth the wealth of talented volleyball players through the tournament and also grow and evolve the sport of volleyball further in the state of Kerala. The Kerala league will also give a platform to a lot of volleyball players from Kerala who couldn’t get selected in the ongoing PVL as a total of only around 84 Indians could get selected & this local league will now help a lot of the players to become famous not only in Kerala but throughout the country.”
The dates and the venue of the Kerala Premier Volleyball League will be announced soon, the organisers declared.
