Farm Fresh team owner appeals to PVL on Alohi Robins-Hardy's status

Farm Fresh Foxies team owner Frank Lao appealed to the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) to let Alohi Robins-Hardy play in the upcoming All-Filipino Conference which will start on Saturday.

The inclusion of Robins-Hardy in the lineup was announced last October 22 but PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo said the former will still have to go through the draft process.

In a statement released on Thursday, Lao cited a 'gentleman's agreement' with PVL president Ricky Palou saying Robins-Hardy can play if she can present a valid Philippine passport.

“After the PVL draft, there was an agreement between me and Mr. Palou that Alohi can play provided that she presents a valid Philippine passport. That’s why I was shocked to learn that she can’t play unless she joins the PVL draft,” Lao said in a statement.

“That’s why it’s really frustrating to know that they will not allow her to compete unless she joins the PVL draft, which will happen next year.”

In the statement, it was also said that Palou met with Strong Group Athletics executives "to admit his “oversight” regarding Robins-Hardy’s eligibility status" and "raised the idea of letting other teams decide whether Robins-Hardy will be allowed to play, provided that SGA can secure a majority of the team owners or their representatives to sign a “Letter of No Objection.”"

The Farm Fresh camp said Lao got the support of Zus Coffee, Galeries Tower, PLDT, Petro Gazz, and Chery Tiggo, and was also securing the approval of two other teams, "but Palou suddenly pulled the plug and reiterated that there is no way for them to allow Robins-Hardy to see action without joining the PVL draft."

"All we want is to be competitive – that’s all,” said Lao in a statement.

“But how can we do it if we will not be allowed to recruit players whom we believe can help us achieve our goal? We want to make it to the top four that's why we're spending money and adding new recruits to help us entertain the fans and win the title."

The PVL held their first-ever draft last July. In a statement on its website, the PVL previously said one of the draft's primary goals is to promote a fairer player acquisition process and prevent bidding wars between teams. 

During the inaugural edition of the draft, the Foxies picked Maicah Larroza and Pierre Abellana.

Farm Fresh also recently signed Rachel Ann Daquis and Jheck Dionela to the squad.

"We know that there's no shortcut to success. That's why we're working hard to recruit and develop our team into becoming a title contender," Lao added.

Robins-Hardy, on the other hand, also echoed the Farm Fresh camp's sentiment to let her play in the PVL.

“It’s really disappointing because I had to give up my job just to play and provide excitement to volleyball fans here in the Philippines,” said Robins-Hardy in a statement.

“I hope the PVL will reconsider its position and allow me to play. Volleyball means so much to me and competing in front of the Filipino fans is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

Robins-Hardy previously played for Cignal in a different league.

However, Malonzo previously insisted that Robins-Hardy needed to undergo the draft.

"Alohi is a good addition to our league, sa totoo lang. She’s a good player but because of the regulations that we created early this year, and all the teams know about it naman, you have to have played from 2021 until 2024," Malonzo said.

"‘Pag part ka ng any team, not even laro eh, you’re considered a veteran player so don’t have to go through the draft. But in her case, hindi siya na-lineup eh so she has to go through the draft process where she needs to submit certain documents."

In a statement released also on Thursday, the PVL said Robins-Hardy can play in the league, "but she must first fulfill the league’s eligibility requirements: 1) a valid Philippine passport and 2) going through the draft process which will take place in June 2025."

The league also said it has issued a memorandum to teams back in May about the rules of the draft. This also indicated that players who have not played in the league from 2021 up to the first conference of the 2024 season must go through the draft process.

The league also said that they shared a list of veterans who are potential direct hires but Robins-Hardy was not in the list.

"The PVL's official guidelines take precedence over all other considerations," it added.

GMA News Online has reached out to Palou his reaction on Lao's statement.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News