Santarelli to lead Panthers for 10th straight season

Daniele Santarelli will spend a tenth straight season at the helm of the Italian Panthers. Santarelli found his way to Conegliano in 2015 where he spent two years as an assistant coach and eventually he took over the reins of the Italian standout team in 2017, thereby contributing to a truly unprecedented success story in Italian and international women’s Volleyball. The 45-year-old from Foligno has claimed 397 wins in the 438 matches contested as Conegliano’s head coach, which accounts for a formidable 91% success rate!

Under his tenure, Conegliano has claimed as many as 27 trophies – eight straight national league titles (without counting the season prematurely interrupted by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020), seven Italian Cups, seven Supercups, three CEV Champions League crowns (2021, 2024, and 2025) and just as many titles from the FIVB Club World Championship. He also guided Conegliano to an all-time record of 76 consecutive wins across domestic and international competitions. Santarelli is currently working with the Turkish women’s national team – with whom he has claimed the VNL and EuroVolley titles in 2023, plus World Championship silver in 2025 and a fourth place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He previously coached Team Croatia from 2018 to 2021 and Team Serbia – securing a World Championship title in 2022. 

“I feel privileged and fortunate to have spent so many years at the helm of such a prestigious club,” Santarelli comments. “We have made history and it feels great since – as a member of this family for the past 10 years – I have developed a very special bond which goes beyond Volleyball. It is an honour and a responsibility at the same time which implies I will continue to devote myself with the utmost dedication to pay back the management and the fans for all their love and support. It was a privilege 10 years ago when I was entrusted with the head coach position for the first time and it still is now that we have achieved so much together. It is obvious that I am super happy to extend our cooperation. Conegliano feels like home and I never get tired of repeating it. I look forward to another exciting season filled with challenges and I am confident that I have the right people with me to live such challenges to the fullest. I am currently busy for a long summer with Türkiye but after EuroVolley we will come back together at Palaverde for another season marked by high goals and ambitions. I look forward to seeing the fans again – it will be great to fight together to achieve even further success.”