Just three months after withdrawing from the elite men's championship, Cherno More (Varna) once again has a representative men's team. The "Sailors" started the 2026/27 season with a 3:1 set victory over Dorostol (Silistra), but are now competing in the third tier of Bulgarian volleyball - the "A" National Volleyball Group (ANVG).
In the summer, the Varna club announced that it would not participate in Super Volley, citing a lack of sufficient support from the Municipality of Varna and unsatisfactory conditions for player preparation. It then became clear that Cherno More would not have a representative team in the Higher League either, and efforts would be focused primarily on the development of the youth academy.
In its official statement from August, the club emphasized the insufficient support for volleyball in Varna. President Krasimir Iliev, who has financed Cherno More's activities for more than three decades, made the decision to withdraw from the elite championship.
It turns out, however, that the club has still found a way to continue its participation in the men's championships, albeit at an amateur level.
The "A" National Volleyball Group is the third tier in the hierarchy of Bulgarian men's volleyball after Super Volley and the Higher League. It is there that the Varna team will gain playing experience and try to build a new squad that could in the future become the basis for a return to the higher divisions.
The team is led by Ivaylo Kolev and Diyana Dyanova, who will rely primarily on young volleyball players with ambitions for development.
The captain of the "Sailors" is the experienced Kristiyan Dimitrov, who will have the important task of leading his young teammates and helping them grow.
The successful start against Dorostol is a positive signal for the Varna club, but far more important is that despite withdrawing from the elite, Cherno More has managed to maintain its presence in men's volleyball.
For now, it remains unclear whether participation in the ANVG is a temporary solution or the beginning of a longer-term project to restore the representative team.
For a club with the traditions of Cherno More, however, even presence in the third tier is a better prospect than the complete cessation of the men's division.