Vital Heynen surprisingly quits as national coach of the German volleyball players. The Belgian’s successor will initially be Alexander Waibl, who will remain head coach of Bundesliga club Dresdner SC until the end of August. The German Volleyball Association (DVV) announced on Friday that a dual function beyond the summer is not planned.
Heynen had looked after the national team for the past two years. According to dpa information, the 54-year-old is about to move to China. From 2012 to 2016 he served as coach of the German men’s team, and in 2014 he won World Cup bronze with the German team. In 2018 he even became world champion with Poland’s selection. Heynen returned to DVV at the beginning of 2022. “Vital has done a very good job over the last two years and has continued to advance the team. We very much regret his decision,” said sports director Jaromir Zachrich about the request to terminate his contract, “but we respect it and wish him all the best for his professional future.”
Waibl has been head coach of the Dresden women since 2009, with whom he won both the German championship and the DVV Cup four times. The 56-year-old native of Stuttgart also trained the U23 national team. In 2016, Waibl was also the coach of the Czech women’s national team for five months.
“An honor” for Waibl
“The offer was of course extremely surprising. It was always my dream to be a national coach in Germany, for me it is an honor to be able to represent my country,” said Waibl. It was immediately clear to him that he wanted to do this, said the father of three children, who first spoke to his wife. “There’s a lot that needs to be organized. I am extremely grateful that we found a solution.”
Leaves the German women: Vital Heynendpa
He also thanked his club for making his commitment possible at short notice. It was not clear from the statement whether Waibl would return to Dresden after the summer or whether he would like to remain national coach. Waibl has a contract with DSC until June 30, 2026.
Starting this Saturday, the national team is preparing for the upcoming games in the Nations League, which starts on May 14th. With victories, the selection can improve in the world rankings, which would still make Olympic qualification for the games in Paris in the summer possible. The DVV team missed the direct ticket.
“We are pleased to have gained an excellent and very experienced German coach in Alex, who the team also wanted,” said Zachrich. Waibl admitted that the starting position was difficult, but emphasized: “We still want to make the Olympics possible.” German volleyball players have not qualified for the Olympic Games since 2004.
