The Premier Volleyball League draft is an annual event of the Premier Volleyball League, where the twelve teams of the league can acquire or draft new players who have not previously competed in the league that are eligible and wish to join the club. The inaugural rookie draft was held on July 8, 2024.[1]
With the launch of the rookie draft, teams are now barred from directly hiring players from the collegiate ranks, such as the NCAA, and the UAAP. Players who have previously played in the PVL, including athletes from the NCAA who played with a special guest license (SGL) granted by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) are allowed to skip the draft.[2]
Rules and eligibility
Eligibility requirements
To become eligible to apply for the rookie draft, applicants must:[3]
- Be at least 21 years old by December 31 at the year of the annual draft, with no necessity for collegiate playing experience or academic qualifications.
- Secure a Philippine passport before the deadline for submission of draft eligibility requirements for Filipino foreign applicants. They may submit a birth certificate issued in the Philippines in place of the Philippine passport.
Timeline of events
The following are the events that initiated in the rookie draft.[3]
- Submission of applicants' draft requirements.
- Allowance of a certain number of days for draft withdrawal.
- Announcement of the initial list of applicants.
- Draft lottery day for the four worst-performing teams of the recent conference.
- Mandatory PVL rookie draft combine. A two-day event where applicants underwent physical measures, medical tests, interviews, athletic tests, and scrimmages, all observed by coaches and officials.
- The day of the PVL Rookie draft event.
Draft contract
Drafted players must obtain qualifying offers from their respective teams within 15 calendar days. First-round picks must be offered a minimum three-year contract. Applicants drafted in the second and later rounds require a minimum one-year contract.[3]
Undrafted players signed by teams must receive at least a one-conference contract.[3]
Order
In determining the draft order, the weighted cumulative ranking of each team is calculated based on their standings from each conference held since the previous draft, with the All-Filipino Conference having the most weight in the calculation. In the first round, the first four picks are determined by lottery, while the remaining teams go in ascending order (lowest to highest) of their cumulative rankings. For the second round onwards, all teams pick in ascending order. Any ties are broken by a separate lottery.
The draft can go for as many rounds as needed, but starting from the second round, teams can pass their selection. Doing so ends the team's draft and cannot select in the succeeding rounds.[3]
Draft lottery
A draft lottery is held for the four teams with the worst cumulative rankings to prevent teams from deliberately tanking in an attempt to earn the first pick. The probability of the teams' chances of getting the first overall pick are as follows:[3]
- The team with the worst ranking has a 40% chance of winning the first pick,
- The team with the second-worst ranking has a 30% chance,
- The team with the third-worst ranking has a 20% chance, and
- The team with the fourth-worst ranking has a 10% chance.
List of first overall picks
| OH | Outside hitter | MB | Middle blocker | OP | Opposite hitter | S | Setter | L | Libero |
| Draft | Season | Player | Pos. | Selected by | College | Draft venue | PVL rookie statistics | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pts. | Atk. | Blk. | Srv. | Dig. | Set. | Rec. | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2024–25 | Thea Gagate | MB | Zus Coffee | DLSU | Novotel Manila Araneta City, Quezon City | 132 | 32.28% | 0.70 | 0.15 | 0.30 | 0.00 | 0.00% | [4] |
| 2025 | 2025–26 | Bella Belen | OH | Capital1 | NU | 342 | 33.73% | 0.28 | 0.20 | 3.17 | 0.00 | 42.00% | [5] | |
| 2026 | 2026–27 | Camilla Lamina | S | Galeries Tower | NU | To be determined | [6] | |||||||
References
- Manalang, Gerard (May 20, 2024). "PVL schedules Rookie Draft". Daily Tribune. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- Villar, Joey (May 20, 2024). "PVL coach Jerry Yee transfers from Farm Fresh to Strong Group". Philstar. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- "PVL breaks new ground, holds first Rookie Draft". Premier Volleyball League. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- Demigillo, Kiko (July 8, 2024). "No surprise: Thea Gagate selected first overall by ZUS Coffee in inaugural PVL Rookie Draft". One Sports. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- Satumbaga-Villar, Kristel (June 8, 2025). "'New era' begins as Capital1 selects Bella Belen as top overall pick in PVL Rookie Draft". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
- Garcia, John Mark (2026-06-03). "Galeries Tower makes Lams Lamina the No. 1 draft pick in 2026 PVL Draft". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 2026-06-03.