Strong focus on Bulgarian talents: Francesco Mollo takes over Bulgaria's new B team, Teodor Bogdanov will be his assistant
Bulgarian volleyball is taking an important step towards the future with the official creation of a B national men's team, which will allow the most promising players born after 2003 to work in a professional environment, similar to that of the senior team. The expanded squad includes a number of local talents, playing both in Bulgaria and abroad ", among them stand out the names of Simeon Nikolov (Long Beach State, USA), Georgi Tatarov and Denislav Bardarov (Grottazzolina, Italy), Samuil Valchinov (Macerata, Italy), Hristiyan Dimitrov (Polisportiva, Italy) and others.
The project will be led by the Italian specialist Francesco Mollo, personally proposed by head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini. He will be joined by Bulgarian Teodor Bogdanov, a proven young coach who led the U17 national team to the World Championship in 2023.
🔵 Mission: smooth integration of a new generation of players into the men's national team and development of playing qualities through a unified methodology, also applied to the "A" team.
"We will work according to Blengini's technical instructions to help these young players reach a competitive level for the men's squad. Bulgaria has extremely interesting volleyball players with good physical characteristics," Mollo shared.
The project has been approved by the BFV Management Board and is part of the long-term strategy for the development of the domestic championship and national formations. A list of 43 players, divided into two groups (A and B), has already been approved. They will prepare together in Samokov until May 17, after completing their club commitments.
👉 Goal: a stronger domestic championship, prepared athletes for the elite level, and a smooth transition between age groups and the men's national team.
🏐 Lyubomir Ganev, president of the BFV, emphasized:
"We have many talented and quality children - they are our focus! The goal is to awaken their ambition to wear the national jersey with pride and to be ready to join the "A" team at any time."
📌 The assembled young volleyball players will train in a competitive environment, led by experienced specialists. The project will also include control matches to contribute to their game development.
The initiative creates a reliable path for the transition from youth to senior national volleyball and promises a future where the Bulgarian tricolor will once again fly proudly at major forums.
photo: BFV
