With a solemn ceremony in the "Levski Sofia" sports hall, the international volleyball tournament "A1 Stars of the Future" began, hosted and organized by VC "Levski Sofia". The event gathered representatives of the volleyball community, including the President of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Lyubomir Ganev, tournament director Atanas Garov, as well as the presidents of "the Blues", Vladimir Nikolov and David Davidov.

The opening ceremony was also honored by former players of the club and national teams Stoil Palev, Damyan Kolev, and Kristian Titriyski who symbolically supported the initiative aimed at the youngest talents.

For the fifth consecutive time, the capital hosts the competition for boys and girls under 16, which has already built a reputation as one of the most valuable international competitions for adolescents. The matches will be played between December 19 and 21 in the "Levski Sofia" hall, with free access for the public. The tournament features 12 teams seven from abroad and five Bulgarian guaranteeing serious competition and a diversity of volleyball schools.

In the boys' competition, participating teams will include "Diavoli Rosa" from Italy, Poland's "Jastrzębski", "Vulcanesti" from Moldova, as well as the Bulgarian teams "Beroe", CSKA, and "Levski". In the girls' tournament, teams will compete: "Busto Arsizio" (Italy), "Berlin" (Germany), "Jasieniak Gdańsk" and "Stezyca Wiezyca" (Poland), as well as the local "Maritsa" and "Levski".

The main mission of "A1 Stars of the Future" is to pit young Bulgarian volleyball players against peers from established European academies and to provide them with the necessary international experience at an early age. This philosophy is at the core of VC "Levski Sofia"'s project, strongly supported by Vladimir Nikolov and David Davidov.

"Investing in children is an investment in the future of Bulgarian volleyball," emphasized Lyubomir Ganev, highlighting the role of such tournaments in the development of the sport in our country.

According to Atanas Garov, the fifth edition of the competition is a clear sign that volleyball in Bulgaria has a stable foundation and an increasingly well-organized environment for working with adolescents.

With each subsequent edition, "A1 Stars of the Future" strengthens its position and establishes Sofia and VC "Levski" as an attractive center for future names in European and world volleyball.

Photo credit: BFV.bg