Counting the days until the next edition of the CEV Coaches Convention (16-18 September, Skopje, North Macedonia), we are looking back at the previous editions of the event and “give the online floor” to some of the participants from 2021 and 2019, as they share with us why being at the CEV Coaches Convention is one of a kind opportunity that needs to be seized.
In 2019, the Convention was held in Kranjska Gora, focusing on youth development and participation. The attendees had the chance to listen to insights by Remko Kenter (NED), Kristof De Loose (BEL), Peter Morell (DEN) and Marco Mencarelli (ITA), and reflect together on best ways to work with children.
The event in 2021 took place in again Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, and was attended by as many as 164 coaches and physical education teachers from all around the globe. The participants learnt during both theoretical and practical sessions (as they will do in 2022) about new ways to inspire school kids taking up on the sport; and how to train them better on their way to understanding the concept of losing to later winning through self-awareness and correction. Kristof De Loose, Nicolas Sauerbrey, Thomas Bro-Rasmussen, Kåre Mol, and Giovanni Guidetti were the speakers who inspired the attendees.
What to expect from the 2022 edition of the CEV Coaches Convention? Find out here.
“I come from a small region in the east of France. I am a coach of youth players, U17. At the convention, learned many interesting things. It is so interesting and important to meet other youth coaches – you exchange knowledge on how to find new ways to engage with young players. And in my opinion, this is something very difficult, even more difficult than training older players, because with youngsters, you need to find new alternatives to inspire them and to keep their interest. At the Convention, I got to know different points of view. Now, I need to reflect on everything and when coming back to my country, to the gym, try making a difference. It will take a little bit of time “to translate” and implement everything. One thing that I will remember will be the fact how important it is for young players to have fun while they play”, said Samuel Boyé from France.
I come from Albania, from a small town. I am a coach of young girls. Besides this, I used to be a professional Volleyball player and right now, I am also a professor at the University. I was chosen from the Albanian Volleyball Federation to take part in this event. It is a good possibility to learn new things regarding how to train kids. I liked a lot the organisation, the host country, the theoretical session, the whole new experience of the practice session. I think that the most valuable thing for me was seeing how people with great experience do things. The best thing that I will bring with me, is part of the theoretical session about the characteristics of the coach, and that you have to be a kid when you coach the kids. I also got inspired by the creativity the coaches have. They think about practical things – such as finding materials, and create tools on their own and use them during training. You need to be creative, and you don’t need to only spend money. I will implement this in my work”, said Gentiana from Albania.
“I was invited by the CEV to take part in a grassroot program; to learn how, we, as coaches, can develop youth and grassroot Volleyball in our country. Here, at the Coaches Convention, I liked a lot the networking possibilities, being able to exchange ideas with coaches from around the world. We have learned from coaches who work with children, with young people for the last 30-40 years – and gathering this knowledge, this is of utmost importance to me, to my other fellow coaches. Even getting ideas from other specialists who have done things differently – that is a great help to me. Something that I would bring together with me to the Dominican Republic, and most probably, I will share with other coaches there – I realised during the practical sessions that you must allow children to be children. First of all, children always like having fun. As a senior coach myself, I have always worked with older people, in some more competitive environment. I train them to win. With children and young people, you help them to develop from early stage – technics, tactics, and just the love for Volleyball. If you don’t allow them to love this sport, you lose these players for the future. To me, if I am working with young people and children, I want to allow them to have fun and to love the game as they get older”, said Ericsson Leblanc from Dominica.
“I am from Armenia, and I am a Volleyball coach. Being here, at the Convention, is a great opportunity for me; I can learn more about the school programs. I will bring with me the knowledge of how important it is to create games between kids, games that they will enjoy while learning. Here, I got many new ideas, many new answers”, said Izabella Asmaryan from Armenia.