How the Argentine Volleyball League reacted to the resignation of UPCN and who would play it :: Olé

The atmosphere was shaken this afternoon with the news that UPCN, the club that was champion of the Argentine Volleyball League (LVA) the most times, dropped out of the tournament. The people of San Juan, basically, do not agree with the tour system and aim to Citythe reigning two-time champion, to handle the decisions.

Although the most important thing for volleyball today is the Selection with its participation in the VNL playoffs This weekend and the Olympic Games starting on July 27th, there is less and less time left to start planning the local volleyball season, now without Gremio.

Olé communicated with Jorge Vivasthe president of the Association of Argentine Volleyball League Clubs (Aclav)who referred to the withdrawal of UPCN, the “accusations” about favoritism towards Muni – the club that Vivas urged – and the future of the tournament.

“It is sad news but we respect the decisions of the clubs regarding participating in the League, or not, as at the time they were Bolivar or Boca,” said the Aclav leader. “What everyone knows is that in Aclav the decisions are democratic and by vote. The competition system and format were voted on by the clubs, in a vote that ended 8 against 2. We are calm, and we will continue working so that the League continues to grow. And, as in these last 20 years, working together,” concluded the head of the entity that governs the destiny of the Argentine League.

The San Juan club is one of the two teams that voted against the tour format, which is why the first phase of the League is played through seven mini tournaments in different venues, with the incorporation of pair matches so that all clubs secure a home game during the regular phase. The Gremio wanted to return to the system of hosting two teams one weekend at home and visiting two the next.. The club complains that, since the inauguration of the new stadium at the end of 2021, they have only played a dozen home games in the League. And also because “it is economically unfavourable due to the travel and hotel costs of clubs from the interior provinces.”

In this sense, they exemplified: “To give you an idea: of the seven Tours in the regular phase and the eighth, in the quarterfinals, five were in Buenos Aires, two in Tucumán and one in Formosa.”

And as for Ciudad, in the resignation statement, they stated: “The Ciudad Vóley club, favored even in the fixture (never faced the organizers of each Tour last season) due to the management of Roberto Zalcman and with the endorsement of the president of Aclav, Jorge Vivas, who is also a counselor of Ciudad Vóley, is the promoter of this type of Argentine League. We did everything possible to once again have a federal and competitive championship, but it was not enough.“Business, it seems, was more important to some than volleyball.”

With the resignation of UPCN, a heavyweight has left, who has been starring in the championship for 17 years, with nine titles and four runners-up, two vs. Bolívar and the two recent ones, against Ciudad. Once Unidos also resigned from Mar del Plata, the other club that voted against the tour system, because it wanted to take advantage of the support of its people when playing at home.

Compared to the previous season, with 11 teams, Obras de San Juan will not be there eitherthe most historic club in the tournament, which participated in 25 of the 27 editions and was relegated to the A2 League. By sporting law, Waiwen from Comodoro Rivadavia and CEF N° 5 from La Rioja, champion and runner-up of the A2, will joinIt turns out that until the last moment, it is expected that, above all, the promoted teams will finish sharpening their pencil and confirm that they have the budget to put together a relatively competitive squad. As far as we know, both will say yes..

Registration for teams closes in a few days, on Monday, July 1, with an extension until the 8th. In addition to the Argentine League, the Super Cup and the Aclav Cup are being played.

For now, the clubs that will play the 2024/25 season, in order of how they finished the season plus those promoted, are: Volleyball City, Formosa Police, River, Monteros de Tucumán, Banfield Defenders, San Lorenzo, Mouth, Tucumán Gymnastics, Waiwen Volleyball and CEF No. 5.