06/11/2019 12:00
Dominique Baeyens back at the helm of Belgian Red Dragons
News from the National Federations
Brussels, Belgium, November 6, 2019. After spending one summer at the helm of the Belgian men’s national team, Brecht Van Kerckhove announced his decision to step down from the position of head coach. Former head coach and Belgian coaching legend Dominique Baeyens will lead the ‘Red Dragons’ at the Olympic qualification tournament due to take place in Berlin in early January. “Baeyens has the experience and he knows the players,” according to Volley Belgium.
In August, the Belgian Red Dragons failed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics during the Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Rotterdam. For the continental event in January in Berlin, former head coach Dominique Baeyens makes a temporary return. “I still feel the Olympic ambition in the team, that’s why I committed myself for this pathway to the Olympics,” he said.
Dominique Baeyens (born in 1956) has a CV including eight national championships, three domestic cups and one European Cup. He was Belgium’s ‘Coach of the Year’ as many as eight times and spent four years at the helm of the national team from 2012 to 2016.
This week Brecht Van Kerckhove informed the Belgian Federation of his decision to quit the top job. “I made my own evaluation and I decided that my way of working probably would benefit on the long term but did not deliver enough short-term results with this team,” says Van Kerckhove. “I do remember all the positive effects and vibes of this summer: the integration of young players, some great games during the pool phase of EuroVolley and great promotion for Volleyball in Belgium. I wish the team all the best and hope they will qualify for Tokyo.”
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