THE COUNTRY’S leading volleyball league, Premier Volleyball League (PVL), welcomed Capital1, the 12th and newest team, which, according to team owners Mandy and Milka Romero, intends to add a competitive and fighting spirit to the league.
On Thursday, the league held a press conference in Makati City to officially welcome Capital1 as its newest squad. Capital1 Power Spikers completed the PVL’s 12-team roster for the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference in February.
The team is owned by the daughters of billionaire and sportsman Congressman Mikee Romero. They narrated that they set up their crew as quickly as possible.
“Everybody’s here on such short notice. And I think we take that short notice as a momentum instead, that we can build Capital Power Spikers into the PVL as fast as we can so that we can adjust and grow from there,” explained Milka.
“So that’s our main focus at the moment. And today is just an introduction of who we are. You will really know us more on the court with our players and definitely how we play the game,” she said.
The Romero sisters have sports experience. Milka was a former Ateneo football co-captain and Mandy competed in the national Muay Thai squad. Meanwhile, their father owns the PBA franchise NorthPort Batang Pier.
“For my sister and I, sports are really in our blood. And we’re excited to bring our energy and our competitive and fighting spirit to the PVL,” said Mandy.
“Great teams take time. With Coach Roger (Gorayeb) at the helm, we hope that we can create a formidable team in the next two to three years and hopefully, we can find diverse talents across the country.
“We want to create a culture, as my sister mentioned, that elevates our team and moving us at the forefront of women’s volleyball,” she said.
Meanwhile, PVL president Ricky Palou said that when choosing the league’s next club to fill the void left by the disbandment of F2 Logistics Cargo Movers, the Power Spikers were undoubtedly the best option.
“We interviewed about four entities. We interviewed all of them and we looked at what their vision was, what their purpose was gonna be,” said PVL’s president.
“We felt that Capital are the ones who are really there to stay for the long term and eventually build up their team to be competitive,” he added.
“It’s not gonna be easy to build up a competitive team in so short a time. But I know Roger and I know how he pushes his players to improve all the time. I’m pretty confident that in a year or two, they’ll be one of the top teams in the PVL,” he continued.
It may be difficult to build one’s reputation in an already established league, but with the grit and grind that the Power Spikers possess, the attention might gradually shift their way.
