National Volleyball League: Why is it played with 12 teams and is it beneficial for the tournament?

The net is already in place at the Villa El Salvador Sports Center to begin living the National Volleyball League, a tournament that begins this afternoon with the presentation of the last two finalists. Regatas begins the defense of its title against Sumak Selva, the recently promoted (3 pm), while Alianza Lima faces the traditional Túpac Amaru (5 pm). Both matches will be televised by Movistar Deportes.

In total there are 12 teams that are part of the contest. After the first round (11 games each), the first eight will follow the path to the title separated in two series and the other four will seek permanence.

First stage

All against all: 11 matches each

– The top eight qualify for the title fight

– The last four go on to play the home run to avoid relegation

Second stage

Three series, the first two go for the title

– Matches all against all, round trip

third stage

Semifinals: the first two of Serie A and Serie B

– Best of three matches

fourth stage

Third place: Best of three games

After 5 years the local league will have more than ten teams and it is a decision that was made to try to renew the contest. There will be twelve teams, including Universidad San Martín, a club that was relegated last season, but managed to recover its place.

“There was a tournament called Reclassification. Several teams from the country participated. And three casts for the LNSV gained access: San Martín, Túpac Amaru and Sumak Selva de Tarapoto”, they explain to us from the Peruvian Volleyball Federation.

In 2017 the tournament had eleven teams. Then it was played with only 10, something that caused problems last year, since the first stage barely allowed the teams to play 9 matches, after which it was already defined who would go on to fight for the title and which for relegation.

The measure to increase the number of teams was made from the Federation. “It is to give an opportunity for more clubs to join the competition. This is going to imply that they worry about improving the sporting level and our league in the future is more solid”, says Evelyn Cerna, organizational director of the Peruvian Volleyball Federation.

“We will evaluate how we are doing with 12 clubs and if necessary and important we will increase,” adds the board regarding what they have in mind for the future. However, it seems not to be a very well-planned measure, because the volleyball universe does not allow for a high-level league with so many clubs.

“The initiative could be good, but it has not been planned correctly,” says Raquel Catalina, a journalist who follows the league on the Sobre la Net Voleibol portal. For her, there are no players to cover the need for 12 teams, so the level would not rise. “By not having such good players in seniors, you force many young people to play. Although it is true that is good for them, that does not help at the level of the League ”; she tells us she

Each of the twelve clubs can register up to 25 players, according to the form that was given to us, but at the moment each team has an average of 16 players. By regulation, it is allowed to have three foreigners on the payroll.

Another point that Raquel Stolar reminds us is that although the number of clubs increased, the income from the tournament may not have increased, so each team would receive less money for the tournament’s television. As we learned, in previous seasons 10,000 soles were given to each competing club and then prizes were given to each one according to the position in which they were located, reaching more than 500,000 soles distributed among all.

For this year, the National League is sponsored by Apuesta Total, which will take the name of the tournament. In addition, it will continue to be televised via Movistar Deportes. The Federation itself confirmed to us that the prizes have increased, so they will be distributed among the twelve clubs so that none is affected compared to previous years.

The tournament starts with two games in Villa El Salvador. The public can purchase their tickets via Joinnus at 15 soles for general and 30 for preferential. We must encourage the most beloved sport in our country.

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