The past 2025 Bulgarian Cup tournament will be remembered not only for the exciting matches that left Bulgarian volleyball fans breathless, but also for the great surprise that the NVL management had prepared for both sports enthusiasts and the athletes themselves in Arena Burgas.

For the first time in volleyball history, matches were played on a taraflex court formed by the colors of the Bulgarian flag.
How and why the idea was born and what is the great message that the NVL aims to convey - NVL Marketing Director Atanas Varbanov speaks.

When did the idea to hold matches on a special taraflex with the Bulgarian flag originate?
The idea was born back in October when we successfully launched the regular season in efbet Super Volley and focused our efforts on organizing the next big tournament, which is the Bulgarian Cup.

Were you inspired by any other championship?
I wouldn't say we were inspired by any other championship. There are 2-3 championships in Europe that have done it - in Italy, for example, it has been like this for many years now, so that is the original source of the idea. The Bulgarian flag is an important symbol for all of us - the main goal of the NVL is to promote Bulgaria, in addition to Bulgarian volleyball.

Is this the main message you tried to convey by implementing this idea?
Yes, this is the message we want to convey. For the game itself, there isn't much difference that the volleyball players play on such a surface, but for everyone who watches and enjoys - this is an additional extra that we hoped would increase interest and satisfaction from the whole game.

What is the feedback you received from both fans and volleyball players who played in the Bulgarian Cup?
We have not yet made a final analysis of the data from the tournament, but at first glance, all the comments we received - on social networks, through phone calls, from people in the hall - with minimal exceptions, everyone was delighted with what we did.
Regarding whether there is a difference in how the taraflex is played and "felt" by the volleyball players themselves, we have not registered any negative feedback. We conducted a brief survey with some of the athletes during the tournament, who said that it in no way hinders them, nor do they generally find any difference in the game.

Purely technically and time-wise - was there anything special that made it difficult for you, how did you organize and how was the whole idea realized?
No, we were not hindered in any aspect. The different colors were delivered by different divisions of the company that manufactures the surface. Organizationally, everything was carried out according to plan.

What are the future plans for using this taraflex?
The taraflex is planned to be used primarily for the Bulgarian Cup and Bulgarian Supercup.
In case another good idea comes to mind that suggests the possibility of using such a taraflex, we would gladly use it.