Gheorghe Cretu, a 56-year-old Romanian, has been appointed as the head coach of the Serbian men’s senior national volleyball team. Cretu is currently the coach of the Polish club SKRA Bełchatów.
“First and foremost, it is a great honor for me to be the head coach of the Serbian national team! Being a national team coach in such a great sporting nation as Serbia is truly special for me, but I would say it would be special for any coach in the world.
I know the players very well; at this level, we are all familiar with the details of every team. If I remember correctly, in the past two years, I played against Serbia four times (as Slovenia’s head coach). However, I am less familiar with the younger players, but I will do my best to get to know them better.
My plan is to introduce some new players to the team in certain positions and gradually integrate them into the lineup. Together with the more experienced players, we will find the right path. I know this is a big challenge, but that is precisely why I accepted it!”* – Cretu emphasized in his first statement for the Serbian Volleyball Federation (OSS).
A former middle blocker for Dinamo Bucharest, the German club Lohhof, and Austrian clubs HotVolleys Vienna, Sokol Vienna, and Union Perchtoldsdorf, Cretu began his coaching career in the Austrian teams he played for. In the 2007/2008 season, he became the head coach of the Romanian national team.
From 2014 to 2019, he led the Estonian national team, winning bronze at the 2018 FIVB Challenger Cup, as well as two gold medals—one in the European League in 2016 and another in the Golden European League in 2018. Since 2022, Cretu has been the head coach of Slovenia, winning a bronze medal at the 2023 European Championship. As a player, he won the Romanian national championship and, in Austria, secured two national league titles and two cup titles. As the head coach of HotVolleys Vienna, he won two Austrian championships (2003 and 2004) and the Austrian Cup (2004). He won the Emir Cup in 2014 with Al Arabi Doha, and with Kuzbass Kemerovo, he won the Russian Cup in 2020. In Estonia, he was named Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018.
Gheorghe Cretu has succeeded Igor Kolaković as the head coach of Serbia’s senior national team.
The biggest achievement of his coaching career came in the 2021/2022 season when he led the Polish club ZAKSA to a “triple crown”—winning the Polish Championship, the Polish Cup, and the CEV Champions League.
In 2022, he was named the Best Coach in Europe in the men’s volleyball category.
CEV President Mr. Roko SIKIRIC, CEV First Vice-President Ivan KNEZEVIC, CEV Managing Director Mr. Vuk KARANOVIC, Croatian Volleyball Federation President and MEVZA Sports Director Mr. Frane ZANIC, Croatian Volleyball Federation Director and MEVZA President Mrs. Valentina BIFFLIN attended BVA Assembly as guests while 10 from 11 member federation’s representatives were present.
During the Assembly, important topics have been discussed. Summer indoor and beach volleyball events with age limits have been defined and also updates on financial and competition matters have been decided.
The members of the BVA Assembly unanimously decided to move the BVA office to Belgrade, Serbia.
27th BVA General Assembly will be held in January 2026 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
