The Premier Volleyball League was established in 2004 as the Shakey's V-League by Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. led by former Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Jun Bernardino, Ricky Palou, Moying Martelino and Rhea Navarro.

[6] Prior to the league's founding, the sport was in a state of stagnation since the 1990s with the highest level of competitive volleyball being the women's collegiate tournament of the Metro Manila-based UAAP.

[4] Every season originally spanned from April to November with the tournaments aptly named "First" and "Second Conference" until 2011 when the latter tourney being replaced by the "Open" and "Reinforced" tournaments Among the unique rules implemented by the Shakey's V-League at the onset was allowing the collegiate teams to have maximum of two reinforcements - termed as "guest players" - on their roster.

These guest players have ranged from alumni of the participating schools, incoming college freshmen who use the tournament as preparation for the upcoming season of their mother leagues and foreigners (among the few notables being the Thais Jaroensri Bualee, Patcharee Sangmuang, and Lithawat Kesinee).

Prior to 2011, accommodating guest players for colleges were allowed in the two (or in a few instances, three) tournaments held during the year - they were henceforth limited to the league's First Conference held during the collegiate summer break every April to June as the Open or Reinforced Conferences accommodated semi-professional corporate squads until such format was succeeded by the "one foreign import" per team in 2016.

[5] The Ateneo Lady Eagles won their first Shakey's V-League crown by thumping defending champions Adamson in the Finals of Season 8's First Conference.

Past venues included the Lyceum of the Philippines University gymnasium, the Blue Eagle Gym, and the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Similar to the current structure being done by the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, Shakey's V-League utilized an in-house broadcast panel until 2016 to cover the games.

Current PBA radio anchor and coliseum barker Noel Zarate and Sev Sarmenta originally served as the longtime play-by-play for the volleyball games with Mozzy Ravena, Noreen Go and Ivy Remulla, among others providing color commentary.

Miriam College alumna and volleyball coach Maria Aurora "Mac" Gepuela[13] serves as the SVL's main in-venue public address announcer.

Upon ABS-CBN Sports' gaining of the league's broadcast rights in 2016, Anton Roxas, Boom Gonzales and the network's in-house personnel replaced Zarate and Sarmenta.