The Italian volleyball club Consar (Ravenna), which is expected in sports circles to be called "the Bulgarian Ravenna", has officially confirmed that it is retaining its entire coaching staff for the 2025/2026 season. The decision comes in the context of strengthening ties between the club and Bulgarian volleyball, which already extend beyond transfers and are becoming a true strategic partnership.
Why "the Bulgarian" Ravenna? First, because of Bulgaria's two national players – Samuil Valchinov and Hristiyan Dimitrov – who will play for the club in the new season, making Consar an important center for the development of young Bulgarian talents. Second, in Ravenna, an even more significant figure is Francesco Moglio – head of the club's youth sector, who this summer took over the national "B" team of Bulgaria. His mission is clearly defined: to develop and prepare players for Gianlorenzo Blengini's selection – the current national coach of Bulgaria. Third, another talent with a direct Bulgarian connection remains with the club for a second season – Manuel, the grandson of volleyball legend Dimitar Zlatanov. The latter has been called up to the Italian men's U19 national team, which will participate in the World Championship in Uzbekistan, scheduled from July 21 to August 3, where the Bulgarian team will also compete.
An interesting detail is that Ravenna's head coach – Fabrizio Valentini – was in the past part of the Italian national team staff, where he worked precisely under Blengini's leadership. This makes the connection between the two staffs even closer and well-coordinated.
Valentini remains at the helm of the team, and he will continue to work with Saverio Di Lascio (assistant), Giorgio Zauli (third coach), Simone Ade (conditioning coach), and Giuseppe Chiarelli (scout). All of them will have a busy summer – some of them are involved in national team preparations, including outside of Italy. For example, Ade is joining the staff of Egypt, which will compete in the World Championship in the Philippines in September.
Francesco Moglio remains a particularly important figure for the connection between Bulgaria and Ravenna. He is not just a visiting specialist – Moglio is the heart of the club's youth structure and is responsible for over 300 licensed athletes from U11 to U20 age groups. Under his leadership, Ravenna's youth team qualified for the Junior League 2025 finals – something that hadn't happened in years.
Now he will work in full synergy with the Bulgarian national team to accelerate the development of the most promising athletes and create a direct path from the youth and "B" team to the first selection.
With this sustainable and focused approach, Consar (Ravenna) is not only building a team for the present but also investing in long-term development, in which Bulgaria holds a central place.
