By MARK REY MONTEJO
Local schools get the chance to boost their confidence when they go up against foreign-based squads in the 2026 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals which fires off Saturday, July 11, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
A total of 13 teams have already confirmed their participation in the two-division meet where the high school games are slated from July 11 to 18 while the collegiate action gets underway from July 19 to 24. Games will be held at the FilOil and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila, with the championship matches scheduled on July 26 also in San Juan.
It will be headlined by four international squads with Ho Chi Minh City Volleyball Club (Vietnam) and Southern Storm Melbourne (Australia) competing in the collegiate, while Perfect Set Dream Makers (California) and Pacific Volleyball Academy (Guam) banner the inaugural juniors edition of the annual invitationals.
Dr. Ian Laurel, chairman and president of Athletic Events and Sports Management Inc. (ACES), emphasized that facing foreign opposition will enable local teams to enhance their competitiveness as well as the Philippine Sports Commission’s mandate of sports tourism.
“Well for us we can’t overemphasize the importance of the grassroots programs, ‘yon naman talaga ‘yong push ng Shakey’s eh,” said Laurel during Tuesday’s PSA Forum presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, and the country’s 24/7sports app ArenaPlus.
“It’s going to be different this year [and] this is something that we aligned with the push of the good chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, Pato Gregorio, regarding sports tourism,” he added.
Laurel and company have plans of expanding the tournament in the coming years – as Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand expressed their interest – with also the goal of transforming the Invitationals into an international competition that could serve as a tune-up event for the 2027 FISU Summer World University Games in Chungcheong Province, South Korea.
Beyond providing a boost to sports tourism, the aforementioned plans also serve as a platform for grassroots athletes to showcase their talent and bolster their skills as they progress to the senior ranks, especially in high-level competitions.
Also present in the forum were league executives Ginio Panganiban and Allen Reyes alongside juniors team coaches Roberto “Obet” Javier (Arellano) and Watamamam Macalanggan (Pusong Azul), who are looking to boost their wards in the upcoming tournament.
Apart from the foreign participants, also taking part in the collegiate division are Enderun Colleges, University of Santo Tomas, Letran, and College of Saint Benilde while in the juniors are Puzong Azul (Ateneo girls’ team), Arellano, St. John’s Institute (Bacolod), One La Salle, and UST.
