Ljubljana to experience yet another Volleyball frenzy with VNL tournament coming to town

The Volleyball Federation of Slovenia (OZS) has started selling tickets for the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) tournament which will take place in Ljubljana from June 18 to 23. OZS President Metod Ropret stated at the press conference held on Thursday that there is a lot of interest for the event and that preparations are proceeding as planned. Slovenia’s team captain, Tine Urnaut, promised that he and his teammates will do everything they can to secure their country’s first-ever Olympic Games appearance.

In recent years, the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia has brought high-level competitions to Ljubljana, including the 2022 FIVB Men’s World Championship, CEV EuroVolley 2019 Men, the FIVB Women’s U23 World Championship, the 2019 FIVB Challenger Cup, Beach Pro Tour tournaments, the 2022 CEV Champions League Super Finals, and many other major events. Now, the OZS has decided to host a VNL tournament for the first time. According to Metod Ropret, the path to a successful bid was not easy: “Our activities began immediately after the Olympic qualifications in 2023 in Japan that did not go exactly as we hoped. This year’s VNL season brings six tournaments for the pool stage, three of which are already covered by long-term contracts. Among the remaining three, we chose the last one and, thankfully, won the bid. We know what playing in front of home fans means to our team, and therefore, we did everything to bring the event to Ljubljana. I am confident that the Stožice Hall will be full, that we will relive the atmosphere of the European and World Championships, and that our players will achieve the only thing missing in their shining careers, participation in the Olympic Games.”

The interest in the event at the Stožice Hall, where an exceptional generation of players will once again present themselves to their fans is extraordinary and the Slovenian Federation is getting prepared for this challenge: “There are no major concerns or worries about the organisation. If we were able to organise a World Championship with 16 teams practically from scratch in three months, then this time we will not have any problems while preparing for an event at the highest level. It will be important to promote even the matches in which the Slovenian team is not involved. We lacked this due to lack of time during the World Championship, but I am confident that this time, with an attractive pricing policy and ticket sales approach, and considering the quality of the teams coming to us, we are on a better path,” Ropret added. 

Tine Urnaut, the captain of the Slovenian national team that will gather on May 6 in Ljubljana, is looking forward to the national team season: “A beautiful summer is ahead of us. In the Olympic Games qualifiers, Canada and Germany surprised us a bit by qualifying for Paris, thus slightly altering the rankings. But it did not affect us much. Just like last summer, this season we must play every game at the highest possible level. We saw how many points a certain win can bring and how many points a defeat can cost us. That is why it will be even more important how we start the VNL. However, we will do everything to qualify for the Olympic Games. Moreover, we will be playing at home, which is always special. In 2015, when we hostel Brazil for friendly matches, we said that one day we would play the VNL in Stožice Hall and fill it. And now that dream is coming true. I hope the fans will come to support us, and that we will once again create a phenomenal atmosphere.” 

There is already great interest in tickets, both among domestic and foreign fans. Inquiries have come in from Poland, Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Germany, and even Thailand and the Philippines. In addition to matches featuring the Slovenian national team against Argentina, Cuba, Italy, and Serbia, exceptional clashes are expected at the Stožice Hall, including the repeat of the 2022 World Championship and 2023 European Championship final between Poland and Italy.

Tickets have been on sale since Thursday, April 4, and can be purchased through the Eventim ticketing system here. Prices for first and second category tickets for matches of the Slovenian team range from € 12 to 35, while daily tickets for other matches costs € 20 and are valid for all three non-Slovenian matches.