Austrian national teams soon to start preparations for exciting 2021 season
News
As the national league has reached its final and most exciting stage, the Austrian national teams will start their preparations for the upcoming 2021 season right after the end of the domestic championship. The women’s team coached by Jan De Brandt will contest their EuroVolley qualifiers in early May, starting with a first round-robin tournament in Larissa, Greece, from May 7 to 9, followed by a home round at Raiffeisen Sportpark in Graz from May 13 to 15. Austria will be playing the national teams of Greece, Spain and Norway for a spot in the EuroVolley Final Round.
In order to make it to the continental showpiece event, Team Austria need to finish at least second in their pool.
Jan De Brandt“The squad consists essentially of those players who were already part of my predecessor Svelana Ilic’s team. They have developed a good deal of chemistry and already have international experience. Some young players who bring a breath of fresh air complement this core group. The newcomers are Jasmin Haslinger and Aida Mehic from Sokol / Post."
Head coach of Austria women's national team
The 62-year-old Belgian took over Team Austria in March 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, his team could not contest any competition last year. With the CEV EuroVolley 2021 Qualifiers and the subsequent CEV Volleyball European Silver League 2021, two challenges are now on the programme within one month. In Pool A of the Silver League, Austria will be facing Slovenia, Israel and Luxembourg. The primary goal is to participate in the Final Four tournament. The preliminary round for the Austrians will take place in Luxembourg (May 27-30) and Slovenia (June 4-6), where the Final Four will be taking place a week later.
The men’s national team already contested their EuroVolley qualifier back in January, so their programme for 2021 includes ‘only’ the European Silver League. It all starts with the home tournament from May 21 to 23 in the Multiversum Schwechat, only four days later it continues in Luxembourg – which hosts a double gender event. The opponents of team captain Peter Wohlfahrtstätter and Co. are Hungary, Croatia and Luxembourg. The first goal for Team Austria is to qualify for the final stage of the competition. The Final Four tournament will take place from June 4 to 6, 2021 in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Radovan Gacic“The core of the team are those players who competed in the European Championship qualification in January - so mostly those playing abroad during the club season.”
Head coach of Austria men's national team
“We also want to give some talents from the domestic league a chance to present themselves in the European League,” Gottfried Rath-Zobernig, Sports Director of the Austrian Volleyball Association adds, pointing out that any planning is a particular challenge during the pandemic. “The coaches have put a lot of work into the selection of the players. Because of the pandemic, we must prepare for many situations, and you have to include contingency plans but our team bosses managed to put together two powerful squads, with whom, I hope, we will be successful!”
Both national teams will prepare for the international season at the VIVA Sports Centre in Steinbrunn - of course in compliance with a strict hygiene concept - the women already from April 15, while the men will start working a week later.