Spikers' Turf
Upcoming season or competition: 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference | |
 | |
| Sport | Volleyball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. |
| First season | 2015 |
| Director | Mozzy Ravena |
| President | Alyssa Valdez |
| Motto | Where Power Meets Passion |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Venue(s) | Various |
| Most recent champion(s) | Cignal HD Spikers (2025 Open) |
| Most titles | Cignal (7 titles) |
| Broadcaster(s) | One Sports |
| Streaming partner(s) |
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| Official website | spikersturf |
Spikers' Turf is the top-level men's semi-professional volleyball league in the Philippines. The league was established in 2015 by Sports Vision Management Group, Inc., the same organization behind the women's Shakey's V-League and later the Premier Volleyball League.
The first running of Spikers' Turf lasted from 2015 to 2016 before it merged with the PVL in 2017 as its men's division. In 2018, it was spun off and the league was reestablished.
The Cignal HD Spikers are the current defending champions after defeating the Criss Cross King Crunchers in the 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference championship. With seven titles, Cignal is also the most successful team in the league.
History
[edit]The league had its beginnings in 2014, when the Shakey's V-League introduced a men's division during the 2014 Reinforced Open Conference.[1][2][3] The following year, Sports Vision decided to spin off the men's division as a separate league, giving birth to Spikers' Turf.[4][5]
In late-2016, Sports Vision announced that the league be merged back in the 2017 season with the Shakey's V-League (which was renamed as the Premier Volleyball League; PVL).[6][7] The men's division in the PVL ended with the 2018 PVL Collegiate Conference as its final tournament. Spikers' Turf was then revived on October 6, 2018[8] and was reestablished as a separate legal entity from the PVL.[9]
In 2020, Spikers' Turf began the process to turn to a professional league, after the PVL was given professional status by the national government's Games and Amusement Board in the same year.[10] The league did not stage its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] On March 16, 2021, Sports Vision president Ricky Palou bared that only three teams out of six - Cignal HD, PLDT and VNS - agreed to turn professional.[12]
Teams
[edit]These are the teams currently competing at the 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference.
| 2025 Spikers' Turf Open Conference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbr. | Team | Affiliation | Head coach | Team captain |
| ALP | Alpha Insurance Protectors | Alpha Insurance & Surety Company Inc. |  Mike Santos
|
Edward Camposano |
| CHD | Cignal HD Spikers | Cignal TV, Inc. | Dexter Clamor
|
John Paul Bugaoan |
| CKC | Criss Cross King Crunchers | Republic Biscuit Corporation |  Tai Bundit
|
Ysay Marasigan |
| PJN | PGJC-Navy Sea Lions | Philippine Navy | George Pascua
|
Greg Dolor |
| SVG | Savouge Spin Doctors | Savouge Aesthetics Philippines | Sydney Calderon
|
Hero Austria |
| VNS | VNS-Laticrete Griffins | VNS Management Group | Ralph Raymund Ocampo
|
Charles Jordan Segui |
Season format
[edit]Similar to the PVL, a traditional Spikers' Turf season is composed of multiple conferences. Since 2023, two are held each season – the first being the Open Conference and the second being the Invitational Conference. A conference is divided into two phases, the preliminary round and final round, the latter serving as the conference's playoffs.
From 2015 to 2016, Spikers' Turf conferences mirrored that of its then-women's counterpart, the Shakey's V-League. Alongside the Open Conference, the league also held the Reinforced and Collegiate Conferences. When the league merged with the rebranded Premier Volleyball League as its men's division, the conferences were held simultaneously.
Following Spikers' Turf's split in 2018, it has only hosted one or two conferences per season. In 2019, the league didn't host a Collegiate Conference. Instead, collegiate teams competed alongside corporate teams in the Open Conference. In 2022, only the Open Conference was contested after the Collegiate Conference was integrated into the relaunch of the V-League. As the league has yet to turn pro, it is possible for players to take part in both Spikers' Turf and the relaunched V-League.
Active tournaments
[edit]- The Open Conference is a conference where corporate-backed local teams can compete. In 2019, the conference also featured collegiate teams. This conference has been held eight times as of the 2025 season.
- The Invitational Conference is a conference where collegiate and international club teams are invited to play in a tournament against the local teams. This conference has been held twice as of the 2024 season.
Defunct tournaments
[edit]- The Collegiate Conference (2015–2016) was a pre-season tournament for college and university teams in preparation for the respective regular seasons of their mother leagues. This conference was held twice during its lifetime.
- The Reinforced Conference (2015–2016; 2019) was an import-laden conference where teams can hire foreign reinforcement(s), although most teams have opted to not hire any imports. This conference was held three times during its lifetime.
Results summary
[edit]Open
[edit]Invitational
[edit]| Season | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Sta. Elena–NU Nationals | Cignal HD Spikers | Maruichi Hyogo | 2023 Invitational |
| 2024 | Cignal HD Spikers | Criss Cross King Crunchers | Savouge Spin Doctors | 2024 Invitational |
Reinforced (c. 2015–2016; 2019)
[edit]Collegiate (c. 2015–2016)
[edit]| Season | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Ateneo Blue Eagles | NU Bulldogs | EAC Generals | 2015 Collegiate |
| 2016 | Ateneo Blue Eagles | NU Bulldogs | UST Golden Spikers | 2016 Collegiate |
| 2017 | see Premier Volleyball League | |||
| 2018 | ||||
| 2022 | see V-League | |||
Champions
[edit]| Team | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Champion conferences |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cignal HD Spikers | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2015 Reinforced, 2019 Reinforced, 2019 Open, 2023 Open, 2024 Open, 2024 Invitational, 2025 Open |
| Philippine Air Force Airmen | 4 | 3 | 2016 Open, 2016 Reinforced, 2018 Open | |
| Sta. Elena–NU Nationals | 2 | — | 1 | 2022 Open, 2023 Invitational |
| Ateneo Blue Eagles | — | — | 2015 Collegiate, 2016 Collegiate | |
| PLDT Home Fibr Power Hitters | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2015 Open |
Awardees
[edit]Below is the table for the most awarded players in the league's history (2015–2016; 2018–present):
| Rank | Name | Current / Last team | Position | Years playing in Spikers' Turf | MVP award | Positional award | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | |||||||
| 1 | Marck Jesus Espejo | Criss Cross | OH | 2015 | present | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| 2 | Ysrael Wilson Marasigan | Criss Cross | OP | 2015 | present | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 3 | Alnakran Abdilla | Air Force | OH | 2015 | 2024 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | Mark Alfafara | PLDT | OH | 2015 | 2019 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Bryan Bagunas | Win Streak (Taiwan) | OH | 2015 | 2024 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Peter Den Mar Torres | Cignal | MB | 2015 | 2023 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Manuel Sumanguid III | Criss Cross | L | 2015 | present | 0 | 4 | ||
| John Paul Bugaoan | Cignal | MB | 2019 | present | 0 | 4 | ||
Notable records
[edit]- Marck Espejo of the Cignal HD Spikers holds the record of highest number of scored points in a single game, 43 points (33 spikes, 2 blocks & 8 service aces).[13]
- Previous record holder was Howard Mojica of the EAC Generals with 41 points (38 spikes, 1 block & 2 service aces) in a match against the Ateneo Blue Eagles during the quarter finals round of the 2015 collegiate conference - ref. Match 34 P2
- The Ateneo Blue Eagles made history in the Spikers' Turf by being the first team to sweep a collegiate conference (13 wins & 0 loss).[14][15]
- Cignal HD Spikers also made history in the Spikers' Turf by being the first club/corporate team to sweep a conference (15 wins & 0 loss).[16]
Venues
[edit]The league's games are mainly held across Metro Manila, primarily on Paco Arena from 2019 to 2023. Recently, the games have dispersed again outside Paco Arena, with some playing outside the metropolis.
- Metro Manila
- Outside of Metro Manila
Media coverage
[edit]The league's initial broadcast partner was the People's Television Network in its first season. In 2016, it was handed over to ABS-CBN Sports+Action, the same broadcast partner with its former women's counterpart league, Shakey's V-League. This partnership with ABS-CBN continued as the Spikers' Turf merged with the rebranded Premier Volleyball League. Upon its separation from the PVL and re-establishment, Cignal TV became the league's primary broadcast partner in 2018.
With the rise of online streaming services, the live coverage of the games can be viewed via Cignal Play, Pilipinas Live app, and the league's official website.
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See also
[edit]- Premier Volleyball League
- V-League (Philippines)
- UAAP volleyball championships
- NCAA volleyball championships (Philippines)
- Volleyball in the Philippines
- Men's Asian Club Volleyball Championship
References
[edit]- ^ "Spikers' Turf showcases best in men's volleyball". Manila: The Philippine Star. March 25, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ Payo, Jasmine (March 25, 2015). "Men's volley hits scene with Spikers' Turf April 5". Manila: Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ From the wires (March 28, 2015). "IEM Volley Masters head cast in eight-team Spikers' Turf volleyball tournament". Sport Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ "Cagayan, Champion clash as Spikers' Turf unwraps". V-League.ph. April 4, 2015. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ Villar, Joey (April 8, 2015). "Rising Suns dim Champion Infinity in Spikers Turf". website. Philstar. Philstar Sports Hub. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ Villar, Joey (December 27, 2016). "Shakey's V-League to rename to 'Philippine V-League'". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Escarlote, Mark (March 29, 2017). "Sports Vision, ABS-CBN ink new partnership for PVL". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ^ Lopez, Mark Edward (October 1, 2018). "PVL: Spikers' Turf returns, fires off on October 6". Fox Sports Philippines. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ Agcaoili, Lance (November 14, 2020). "Alyssa Valdez the founding president of Spiker's Turf, reveals Palou". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ Agcaoili, Lance (November 12, 2020). "As PVL turns professional, Spikers' Turf set to follow suit". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Alyssa Valdez, now Spikers' Turf president, bats for resumption of men's league". ABS-CBN News. November 18, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ Agcaoili, Lance (March 16, 2021). "Spikers Turf hits snag as only three of six teams agree to turn pro". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ Lozada, Bong (October 23, 2019). "Espejo unleashes record 43 points as Cignal bags Spikers' Turf title". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- ^ Lozada, Bong (September 27, 2015). "Ateneo goes 13-0, sweeps NU for Spikers' Turf title". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ Villar, Joey (September 28, 2015). "Eagles whip Bulldogs, cop Spikers' Turf crown". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ Mallari, Gab (March 31, 2023). "Cignal completes historic, undefeated run to rule Spikers' Turf Open Conference". One Sports. Retrieved September 8, 2023.