ILAGAN City’s hosting of the Premier Volleyball League preseason and On Tour events proved to be a smashing hit last year. This is why the city is bracing for yet another jampacked, blockbuster turnout when the PVL returns to the Corn Capital of the Philippines on Wednesday, July 8, at the 10,000-seater Capital Arena.
The leading sports tourism hub of the north waited for less than a year to stage another double header as they heeded to the clamor of the volleyball-loving Ilagueños, who had to fight for ticket allocations as spectators from nearby towns in Cagayan Valley Region travelled all the way to Ilagan just to see the PVL stars display grace, beauty and on-court skills.
“Last year was jampacked,” said Ilagan City Mayor Jay Diaz.
“When we put up a 10,000-seater Capital Arena, we thought it would be enough in hosting major events, including the PVL. But we witnessed the warmth and enthusiasm of the people and people coming from different places drove all the way here just to watch these PVL stars.”
The mayor said they will try to accommodate as many as they can.
“There were so many people who were still lining up, but we couldn’t accommodate them for safety purposes. Had we known that the PVL could attract such huge number of spectators, we would have put up a bigger stadium,” he said.
Just like last year, Creamline, the league’s cream of the crop composed mostly composed of the spice girls of women’s volleyball like Alyssa Valdez, Michelle Gumabao, Jema Galanza, Bernadette Pons, Bea de Leon and Kyle Negrito among others, headlines the four teams that will see action in Ilagan.
Creamline will battle the Nxled Chameleons in the main game at 6:30 p.m. right after the 4 p.m. tiff between Zus Coffee Thunderbelles and Akari Chargers.
Ricky Laggui, head of the local government’s general services division, said that the players will be busy as early as Monday for the Meet and Greet at the Ilagan Community Center.
Last year, the players spent time visiting some of the city’s tourist destinations, including the scenic Abuan River. This year will be no different.
In all of the sporting events being hosted by Ilagan City, the PVL has drawn the most attention and fans couldn’t wait to see their favorite players back in action.
“This might become a regular thing here in Ilagan City,” added Diaz.
Diaz’s son, Jeao, is also involved in sports, being the team owner of the Ilagan Isabela Cowboys, one of the serious playoffs contenders in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
However, not even the home team Cowboys could match the star power of the PVL, which is why the city government has been in contact regularly with the PVL, headed by its president Ricky Palou.
The PVL and the MPBL are just two of the many sporting events Ilagan City has hosted. Last year, the city also hosted a preseason game of the PBA, featuring the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the Meralco Bolts.
Meralco also became a frequent visitor here as it became the lone representative of the PBA in the East Asia Super League as PBA stars Justin Brownlee and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson joined forces and shored up the team along with Sina Vahedi and Ismael Romero, using the Capital Arena as its surrogate homecourt.
Ilagan City also hosted one of the legs of The Asian Tournament and also staged different editions of Bakbakan sa Ilagan in partnership with Elorde Promotions.
Diaz is looking to bring in a regular out-of-town PBA game in the city and is likewise open to staging more major international events in the near future.
