Montenegrin Volleyball family celebrates historic qualification for #EuroVolleyU22M

This past week, the men’s U22 national team of Montenegro coached by Balsa Radulovic made history by reaching the final round of the inaugural European Championship for this age group. In doing so, they became the first men’s under age team from Montenegro to navigate through the qualification round with success. We catch up with former Volleyball player Radulovic to assess what this means for the whole Montenegrin Volleyball family.

When the emotions subside, how does it feel to be among the top eight in Europe?

To be honest, the emotions have not completely subsided yet. I think that we will only be aware of the result we have achieved in a few days when the emotions have completely subsided. I believe that this is the dream of all of us who play Volleyball in Montenegro, to represent our country at the highest level, and it is unlikely that at this moment there could be any bigger joy than to be among the best eight in Europe.

How important is this achievement for Montenegro’s Volleyball?

Sharing this achievement with Volleyball superpowers such as Poland, Italy, France, Turkey, Serbia and leaving behind teams like Slovenia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and many others is a great result and we are all proud of that. This is the result of quality work for many years in all men’s clubs in Montenegro. We are witnessing a sharp increase in the number of boys playing Volleyball and that is a result of the project of the Volleyball Federation of Montenegro in cooperation with local municipalities in the north of the country. In our club Buducnost volley, the project has also led to a serious expansion of the base, especially when it comes to the youngest under-age categories. I believe that this positive trend will continue, coaches will work day by day to raise the bar of training and work quality, and I am sure there will be many more successes and good results for clubs and national teams alike.

After fulfilling your primary goal, what are your ambitions for the championship in Poland?

We have achieved our main goal and a historic result. This is an ideal opportunity for our players to gain experience that will help us one day achieve results like this in the senior competition as well. I am an optimist by nature, I believe in myself, my work, my associates and players, and I try to convey that way of thinking to all of them. Considering the quality of all the national teams that will contest the European Championship, we will definitely not have the role of the favourite no matter who is standing on the other side of the net. That will certainly not stop us to give our best in every match, to fight for every ball, for every point, set. We believe in ourselves, we respect our work and sacrifice, which is not small, so we have something to show at the European Championship and we will represent Montenegro among the Volleyball superpowers in the right way.

Which teams would you like to have in your group?

I have mixed feelings when it comes to the composition of the groups for the European Championship. On the one hand, I would like to compare our strengths with the best teams, and in that situation, I would like to play against Italy, Poland, France or Turkey. On the other hand, I think that we would have more chances in duels with other teams, so I would be happy if the national teams of Serbia, the Netherlands and Austria were in the pool with us. In any case, we will enjoy phenomenal Volleyball, in a country where Volleyball is the number one sport, so I am sure that the next period is something we will remember for a lifetime.

In addition to Montenegro and Poland as the hosts, the national teams of Serbia, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Turkey and Austria will also take part in the first ever U22 Men European Championship, which will take place from July 12-17 in Tarnow, Poland.