Michal Mašek to lead Slovakia women’s national team for another two years

Michal Mašek will remain at the helm of the Slovak women’s national team. Both parties have decided to apply the option in the existing contract, which guarantees that the 40-year-old coach will lead the Slovak national team for at least another two years.

“The extension of our cooperation has two aspects. The work we have done with the coaching staff over the past two years fulfills us. We have established a good working system with good results, so we are satisfied. There is also excellent cooperation with the Slovak Volleyball Federation (SVF), and we have great relationships with the players in the team. The second aspect has to do with the results of our work. For the first time in history, it is likely that we will qualify directly for the next EuroVolley in 2026, and we may also participate in the World Championship in 2025, which would be a significant achievement! These are the things that we want to be a part of. As I talked to my colleagues from the coaching staff, they really like the experience and want to continue working together. The work has given us a lot of energy,” Michal Mašek said regarding the extension of his cooperation with the Slovak Volleyball Federation.

What goals have been set for the next two years? “In 2024 we have the Golden European League, where we want to collect as many points as possible for the CEV and FIVB rankings. We want to do our best to achieve good results and integrate young and promising players into the team. I want the national team to function as it should. I am certainly in favour of having the best players in the team. In the long term, participation in the World Championships is undoubtedly the biggest challenge for all of us,” the coach continued. 

Michal Mašek has been leading the Slovak national team since 2022, and during this tenure he has contested 35 matches, winning 20 of them. Slovakia achieved a historic 10th place in the recent EuroVolley 2023 playing their matches in Estonia and Italy.

Satisfaction with Michal Mašek’s work is also evident from the side of SVF President Marek Rojko. “On behalf of the SVF, I would like to present the official statement regarding the work of coach Mašek and his staff. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the women’s national team performed very positively and professionally. The overall evaluation of the head coach’s work, the coaching staff, and the entire team is extremely positive, and the results and performance of the team are at a level that commands respect. First place in the EuroVolley qualifiers in 2022, in a packed Poprad Arena. In 2023, we achieved the best result in the final round of the Women’s European Championship in our history, finishing in 10th place. In the CEV and FIVB rankings, we are at the highest positions in Slovakia’s history, which gives a strong indication that our team will be a direct participant in the EuroVolley 2026 without going through the qualification, and we are realistically competing for a place in the 2025 World Championship. These are significant factors for which we evaluated the two years of cooperation as successful, as also confirmed by the SVF National Team Council. An integral part of the overall cooperation is the integration of new players, which is already underway, and we can maintain continuity at this level. We have managed to bring in players from the upcoming generation, and the combination of experienced players and new ones is smooth and systematic. We would like to retain some experienced players in the team, for whom participation in the World Championship can be a great motivation. Both parties had the option in the contract, which they decided to exercise, and I believe that another successful period of cooperation awaits us. The option extends the contract with Michal until October 31, 2025” said Rojko.