Heynen leaves: Waibl coaches the women's volleyball team for the time being

Vital Heynen is surprisingly stepping down as national coach of the German women's volleyball team. The Belgian's successor until the end of August will be Alexander Waibl, who will also remain head coach of Bundesliga club Dresdner SC. A dual role beyond the summer is not planned, the German Volleyball Association announced on Friday.

Heynen has been in charge of the national team for the past two years. According to dpa information, the 54-year-old is about to move to China. He also coached the German men's team from 2012 to 2016 and returned to the DVV at the start of 2022. "Vital has done a very good job in the last two years and helped the team to progress. We very much regret his decision," said Sports Director Jaromir Zachrich on the request to terminate his contract.

Waibl has been head coach of the Dresden team since 2009, with whom he has won both the German championship and the DVV Cup several times. The 56-year-old, who was born in Stuttgart, has also coached the U23 national team.

"The offer came as an extreme surprise, of course. It was always my dream to be national coach in Germany and it is an honor for me to represent my country," said Waibl. It was immediately clear to him that he wanted to do it, said the father of three, who first spoke to his wife. "A lot has to be organized. I'm extremely grateful that we found a solution."

He also thanked his club for making the commitment possible for him at short notice. It was not clear from the announcement whether Waibl will return to Dresden after the summer or whether he wants to remain national coach. Waibl still has a contract with DSC until June 30, 2026.

The national team will start preparing for the upcoming Nations League matches this Saturday. With victories, the team can improve its position in the world rankings, which would allow it to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The DVV team had missed out on a direct ticket. Waibl admitted that the starting position was difficult, but emphasized: "We still want to make the Olympics possible."