Nikolay Zhelyazkov remains at the helm of VC Levski Sofia for another three years after the historic treble
Sofia. The head coach of the men's team of VC Levski Sofia, Nikolay Zhelyazkov, signed a new three-year contract, remaining at the helm of the champions. The news was officially announced at a press conference, with which the club closed the extremely successful 2023/2024 season. The men's team recorded a historic golden treble, winning the title, the Cup and the Supercup of Bulgaria, while the women won silver medals.
Under the leadership of Zhelyazkov, who took over the team in 2022, Levski has impressive achievements - two national titles, two Supercups and one National Cup, as well as bronze medals in his first season.
The president of VC Levski Sofia,Vladimir Nikolov,expressed great satisfaction with what was achieved during the past campaign. "We are very happy with both the women and the men," Nikolov said. He admitted that although he wanted one more victory for the men in the Champions League, the season was exceptional. For the women's team, he is very happy with the performance, which he describes as more than worthy in Europe, but he is realistic about the competition. "For me, Maritsa is still objectively the better team, but I hope to catch up with them within two years," he added.
Nikolov emphasized the club's philosophy of developing its own players. "Even if we bring the best coach, if there is no human material, there will be compromised results," the president stressed. He explained that Levski selects the best children and provides them with conditions to work with the best specialists, which accelerates their progress. Nikolov recalled that it took the men's team 7 years to become champion "the right way", and the work with the women, which started 4 years ago, continues to progress despite the lagging. Regarding the squad for the new season, he commented on the departure of "true Levski players" like Ventsislav Antov and Vladislav Garkov, who are difficult to replace, but expressed confidence that the team will remain very strong. Nikolov defended the policy of attracting foreigners who do not create insurmountable competition for young Bulgarian players, guaranteeing playing time and a realistic competition for everyone. He announced the attraction of a Swiss opposite, and is convinced that even without other foreigners the team will be successful.
The head coach himselfNikolay Zhelyazkovdescribed the past year as "very successful for the men's team". "Many people at the beginning did not count on us, but in the end we won all three possible trophies. An exceptional season, I am proud of the boys and the team," he said. Zhelyazkov is adamant that his goals are always to win and they remain the same for the next season. He pointed out that the additions will be both familiar players and players from the academy, whose development will take time. The coach stressed that building volleyball players from children is more difficult than buying ready-made athletes, but it brings him more satisfaction. He thanked the management for their patience and comfort in working with young people over the past three years, expressing hope for more such clubs in Bulgaria. "Personally, the development of young volleyball players brings me more satisfaction than the trophies won," Zhelyazkov concluded.
The co-president of the club,David Davidov,did not hide his joy at Zhelyazkov's stay and praised Levski's unique approach in Bulgarian sports to give coaches the necessary patience to achieve long-term results, contrasting with the widespread search for immediate successes. "I hope there will be more organizations that adopt our way of working," Davidov said, citing "Beroe" as an example with their success in youth formations. He emphasized that coaches Zhelyazkov and Radoslav Arsov have adopted this club vision. According to him, the decision for the new contract with Zhelyazkov was unanimous given the achieved results and his motivation to continue.
The coach of the women's team,Radoslav Arsov,also commented on the season, stating that "a lot of serious work" has been done. He pointed out that Levski has a clearly defined line and goals. Arsov noted that the women's championship does not offer the level and equality of the men's, which is why it is important for good athletes to develop abroad. He expressed satisfaction with the transfers of two athletes to Italy, who before the season were not considered prominent even in the senior age group.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
