By Nikole Javier
The Shakey’s Super League (SSL) plans to extend its reach and advocacy to develop the sport at the grassroots level nationwide.
Together with its return to the volleyball scene, the SSL organizing body will also be staging the National Invitational Championship slated for July 2023.
Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc. (ACES) chairman and CEO Philip Ella Juico has announced their mission to “promote the sport at the grassroots level throughout the country as well as to discover hidden gems outside of Metro Manila.”
Top teams from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the University of Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) will be assured three spots each for the Invitational Championship to represent the National Capital Region.
Additionally, a regional qualifier will be held with six spots up for grabs—two each to represent Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao which will start in February next year.
“The SSL will continue with its season while the UAAP and the NCAA are ongoing from February to May with our regional qualifiers,” Juico said.
“We will fly all the teams that will qualify in the regional tournaments here in Manila for the main draw where they will compete along with the six NCAA and UAAP teams in the nine-day National Invitational Championship,” Juico continued.
In a promising venture, the SSL will open its rebranded league with the historic feat of featuring all the 10 schools from the NCAA and eight teams from the UAAP.