Lausanne, Switzerland, February 7, 2018 - Vital Heynen has been appointed head coach of the men's National Team of Poland, ahead of their obligations in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League and the FIVB World Championship later this year.
This is the third national team for the 48-year-old Belgian, who led Germany to the bronze medal at the 2014 FIVB World Championship and then coached his home team of Belgium last season. He has also managed a number of clubs and is currently with Germany's VfB Friedrichshafen who compete in the Bundesliga and the European Champions League.
Poland's new coach answered questions from the media at a Press Conference in Warsaw following teh announcement of his appointment, concentrating on the two major competitions coming up in 2018.
"We will play fifteen games over five weekends [in the Volleyball National League]," said Heynen. "Show me a coach who has to play in all of his best players. A lot of long flights are waiting for us. In volleyball many players are required. We will want to win with young players on board."
He also set his team's goals for the 2018 World Championship: "Our goal is to take a place in the top six," he said. It would be a good result. However, once we start a match, we will want to win every one of them. But when you put tasks, you have to be realistic."
Heynen is the 27th coach in the history of the men's National Team of Poland. He follows Ferdinando De Giorgi of Italy, who briefly managed the team last year.
New Poland head coach Vital Heynen and Polish Volleyball Federation President Jacek Kasprzyk at the Press Conference to annouce Heynen's appointment.Heynen's appointment came following a long selection process. "We wanted to diagnose the results of the world championships in 2014 and give a new quality to Polish volleyball," said the President of the Polish Volleyball Federation, Jacek Kasprzyk, at the presentation ceremony of the new coach.
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