26/02/2019 11:00
Heynen leaves VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN to focus on Olympic dream with Poland
News from the clubs
Friedrichshafen, Germany, February 27, 2019. Only one day after securing the German national cup crown, the head coach of VfB FRIEDRICHSHAFEN Vital Heynen announced that he would leave the Häfler after this season. He wants to focus on his work with the Polish national team on the way that leads to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and as a result, he will not coach any club during the next winter season.
Vital Heynen has won as many as six titles over the past three seasons with the team from the Lake of Constance. On Sunday, the Häfler claimed the national cup title in front of more than 10,000 spectators in Mannheim, but Heynen is already looking forward. “I really want to win the national championship,” says the 49-year-old Belgian, who is wishing to finish his journey with VfB with yet another bang. However, Heynen has plans that are even more ambitious. “I want to win a medal with Poland at the Olympics in 2020,” he says. As a result, he will focus solely on his work with Team Poland and not coach any club team up until the end of the summer of 2020.
“Actually, the Polish Volleyball Federation wanted Vital as their exclusive national team coach last season already, but we absolutely wanted to keep him and we found this solution. We already knew in the talks last year that coaching VfB and the Polish national team is an extremely demanding task,” says Wunibald Wösle, Chairman of the Advisory Board of VfB Friedrichshafen Volleyball GmbH. “This has come true. Since Vital and we believe that this strain in the Olympic year will increase again significantly, we have agreed to end the cooperation with him at the end of the current season, also for the benefit of the club.”
For Heynen, the focus will be on his team in the coming weeks. “I want the team to continue having fun and fighting for every point. It is important for us all to work together on our dream of winning the championship,” said the Belgian. “There are five or six teams that can win the title.” Immediately after the end of the season, Heynen will go to Poland, before he will finally spend some time with his family again from mid-October. “That has fallen by the wayside in recent months,” says the 49-year-old, “and that is not good.” He does not yet know exactly how the next winter will look like. “It is important that I do not leave VfB for another club team, but concentrate entirely on Poland,” he emphasises. “For that I need all my energy.”
Meanwhile, the managers of VfB are already looking for a new coach. “We have been talking to Vital about this topic for a few weeks,” says VfB Managing Director Guido Heerstraß. “However, we now also have the necessary time to find the best solution for the club.” Heynen, however, when he deals with Friedrichshafen, not only thinks of his successes, but also with a wink to his retirement. “If I should retire, then I can well imagine moving to this region,” he concludes.
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