MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATED) A total of 16 collegiate teams have confirmed their participation in the inaugural conference of the Shakey's Super League (SSL), organizers announced on Tuesday.

The SSL is organized by the Athletic Events and Sports Management Group of the Philippines (ACES Philippines) and backed by Shakey's Pizza Asia Ventures, Inc. (SPAVI), in what will be the brand's return to the local volleyball scene.

The collegiate preseason tournament of the SSL will start on September 22 and run until November 28, with all 10 NCAA schools and six UAAP schools set to compete.

"The two other UAAP teams will be deciding within the week," said Dr. Ian Laurel, the president of ACES Philippines. "Let's hope we get all 18 teams on board."

The launch of the league was welcomed by collegiate volleyball teams, who are looking forward to having a preseason once again after settling for an abbreviated build-up earlier this year.

"From the perspective of a coach, it's very important that there's a preseason, for the team to have the experience, and for the coach to gauge kung nasaan na ba ang team ko," said Otie Camangian, the athletic director of National University (NU).

"This will be a very big help for the schools that will take part in this tournament, specifically for the UAAP teams and the NCAA teams. Mahalaga po ito," he added.

All 10 NCAA teams were represented in Tuesday's press conference at the ASEANA branch of Shakey's, while six UAAP schools save for De La Salle University and University of the East were represented.

According to Laurel, they are looking to implement an "all to play" format for the tournament, which would require coaches to play their entire line-up during matches. The SSL will also utilize a challenge system starting the quarterfinals of their tournaments.

SSL matches can be seen through the league's social media platforms that will be launched in the coming days, as well as through the Facebook and YouTube pages of Plus Network. Games can also be seen through TikTok via Plus Network.

Fans will be allowed to watch the games inside the venue, though organizers have yet to announce where the league will be held.

The SSL will be the re-entry of Shakey's into local volleyball after stepping away in 2016. The pizza brand was the primary backer of the V-League when it was formed in 2004.

Organizing the league are the same people behind the now defunct Philippine Superliga. Laurel serves as the president of ACES Philippines, while Philip Ella Juico is the chairman and chief executive officer.

"We are happy to be here and we are happy that Shakey's has come forward to support volleyball," said Juico. "After all, Shakey's for 13 seasons was synonymous with volleyball, and volleyball was synonymous with Shakey's. We believe it was time to revive that relationship after the pandemic."

Catch replays of UAAP Season 84 games via the UAAP Varsity channel on iWantTFC, available for Premium users outside the Philippines.

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