The country’s top two Premier Volleyball League (PVL) clubs — perennial champion Creamline and Petro Gazz — have been tapped by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) to represent the country in the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League from 20 to 27 April.
PNVF president Ricky Palou said the groupings will be held on 12 March at The Grand Fourwings Hotel in Bangkok, where an official press conference will also be held.
As host, the country is allowed to field two teams to the tournament, the PNVF said, and they are allowed to sign up three foreign reinforcements each.
While the Cool Smashers have yet to decide on additional imports, the Angels already have two foreign players in MJ Phillips and Brooke Van Sickle, who are registered under USA Volleyball (USAV).
Petro Gazz still has the option to sign one more import.
“We don’t know if they [Creamline and Petro Gazz] will get three imports. However, for Petro Gazz, [MJ] Phillips and Brooke [Van Sickle] are considered imports since they belong to the US federation, so they can still acquire one more. I don’t know what Creamline’s plans are as of now,” Palou noted.
With the AVC Champions League now partnered with Volleyball World, the tournament is undergoing a rebranding from the previous Asian Club Championships. The competition offers a shared prize pool of $50,000 and two coveted berths to the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Club World Championships later this year.
The AVC Women’s Champions League will feature a maximum of 12 teams.
Initially, South Korea and Vietnam were considered as potential hosts, but the PNVF secured the rights to stage the tournament in the Philippines, allowing two local teams to participate in the eight-day competition.
This marks another significant international stint for Philippine volleyball.
The country made its AVC debut in 2018 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, finishing ninth out of 10 teams.