World champion Michal Mieszko Gogol to lead Latvian men’s national team
News
The Volleyball Federation of Latvia has reached a two-year agreement with Polish renowned coach Michal Mieszko Gogol – who will be joining their men’s national team as of next year.
The members of the LVF Board of Administration agreed upon Gogol’s appointment on Thursday after 12 candidates had applied for the job – and a specially appointed commission ran interviews with three shortlisted coaches, including Mieszko Gogol. The agreement is for one year with the option of adding another year – therefore, should Latvia qualify for EuroVolley 2023, Mieszko Gogol will remain at the helm of the Latvian national team until the end of that competition. The parties are currently discussing further details to finalise the relevant agreement.
At the end of January, Volleyball Latvia will organise a press conference to introduce the coach to the media and discuss the goals for the years 2022 and 2023.
The 36-year-old Michal Mieszko Gogol was a professional player himself from 2005 until 2008, playing as a setter at Morze Bałtyk in Szczecin. He started his coaching career at the young age of 23 as an assistant for the team of AZS CZESTOCHOWA. After spending three years there, he continued his career as a statistician for Asseco Resovia RZESZOW.
In 2016, he became an assistant coach for Stocznia SZCZECIN, but in the middle of season took over the role of head coach and remained in that position until 2018. After leading AZS OLSZTYN in 2018/2019, for the last two years Gogol was the head coach of Poland’s heavyweight PGE Skra BELCHATOW.
He enjoyed his first experience working with national teams back in 2016, when he was an assistant coach for the Polish U23 national team and helped them qualify for the 2017 U23 Men’s World Championship.
In 2018, he joined the staff of head coach Vital Heynen – claiming World Championship gold in 2018 and bronze medals from the 2019 and 2021 editions of CEV EuroVolley with Team Poland.
Michal Mieszko Gogol will be the 8th head coach at the helm of the Latvian men’s national team since country’s independence in 1991, but only the second foreigner to hold the position after Estonian Avo Keel, who helped Latvia qualify for EuroVolley 2021 and had been at the helm of the team since 2018 until late 2021.
The Volleyball Federation of Latvia is currently looking for a coach to lead their women’s national team as well – and they are due to complete the recruitment process by the end of January 2022.