After only two years of coach support through the transformational FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme, Sweden is already dreaming big for their future on the world volleyball stage.
Justifiably so, having come agonisingly close to qualifying for next year’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) when they lost 3-1 (21-25, 16-25, 25-22, 15-25) to hosts France in the final of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup (VCC) held in July.
It was the end of a fairytale run for Sweden who had qualified for the VCC by virtue of finishing second in the European Golden League behind champions Ukraine. Enroute to the VCC final, Sweden had beaten Mexico 3-2 in the quarterfinals and Colombia 3-1 in the semifinals.
The FIVB has invested a total of CHF 18,000 for coach support in Sweden since 2020, with Finnish coach Lauri Hakala taking charge of the women’s national team in 2022. Meanwhile, an additional CHF 72,000 has already been approved for coach support in 2024-2025.
In August, Coach Lauri Hakala’s team continued their success at the CEV European Championships with a 3-1 (13-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-18) win over Germany who finished eighth in this year’s VNL. That win helped them finish fourth in Pool C and qualify for the Round of 16, where they were eliminated by world champions Serbia 3-0 (17-25, 13-25, 16-25). Serbia went on to reach the final but lost to Turkey to settle for the silver medal.
Action between Sweden and Mexico in the quarterfinals of 2023 FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup
According to Swedish Volleyball Association (SVA) General Secretary Simon Dahl, the side were not expecting such a remarkable improvement within the first year of Volleyball Empowerment support and are thrilled to be reviewing their targets.
“We are now rewriting the plan because qualifying for the VCC was more than we expected let alone reaching the final. It boosted the confidence of our team and that’s why in the European Championship we were able to beat a top team like Germany.
“It’s proof that we are on the right track and the team has shown they are ready to take on difficult challenges. The VNL is within our reach and it’s certainly something that we are thinking about next year,” said Dahl.
Having a longer time to prepare for international competitions, Dahl noted, has significantly contributed to the improvement of Sweden’s national team.
“The long programme has certainly contributed to this success. Running a national team with coaching staff and players working all summer is really expensive and we are grateful to Volleyball Empowerment which has helped us pull this off. It’s also through the programme that we were able to recruit Coach Hakala and he has really worked hard to improve the group, both the individuals and the team as a whole, ” said Dahl matter-of-factly.
Sweden’s star opposite Isabelle Haak attacks against Colombia in the semifinals of 2023 FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup
Star opposite Isabelle Haak echoed Dahl’s sentiments saying Hakala’s influence has helped transform them into a formidable team in Europe.
“He has a lot of ideas, is really organised and has got us to work better as a group. Previously we used to prepare for three to four weeks but now we stay together for two to three months, and this has also helped us to improve.
“It’s nice to see we are getting closer to our dream of playing in the VNL which will be a great experience. Personally, I know the team relies on me a lot and I love this challenge. It’s a big role to play especially at the national team because I also have to offer leadership as one of the most experienced players,” said Haak.
Sweden is currently ranked 27th in the FIVB World Rankings (as of October 2023) and the team is hoping to break into the top 20 soon.
Source : fivb.com
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