11,000 tickets sold in less than 24 hours – almost a year before the start of the European Championship. Full halls, children on waiting lists, a reception in Sofia Square that volleyball hasn't seen in decades. Bulgaria is experiencing euphoria.

But as Vlado Nikolov told "Maritsa Podcast," the true value of this moment will not be measured in noise, but in whether it will be transformed into a system. Because silver is a peak. And staying at the peak is a process.

The Euphoria

Volleyball is an event again. Not just a result, but a national experience. The precedent with the tickets for the European Championship shows more than just interest in a tournament – it shows a hunger for belonging.

"11,000 tickets were sold in less than 24 hours. Like a rock concert."

But the real sign is not in the sold-out seats, but in the training halls. After the World Championship, youth groups are full. There are hundreds of children waiting because there isn't the physical capacity to accommodate them.

This is the capital of success.

The reception in Sofia Square was the other side of this moment – a scene that few of the contemporary national team members have witnessed.

"In my entire conscious life, I haven't seen a reception like the one in the square."

However, emotion also carries a risk – to distort reality.

The Reality

The silver medal is phenomenal. Historic. But it does not automatically change the hierarchy.

"We are not the second strongest team in the world. There are at least six teams ahead of us. That doesn't mean we can't beat them."

Here is the maturity – to accept that you can beat Italy or Poland, but if you play ten matches, the probability is not on your side. The difference between a moment and status is in repeatability.

And repeatability comes from experience.

"Experience must be lived."

Technique is learned. Physique is trained. But the mentality for a final is not taught. That's why Nikolov sees the key in championships like the Italian one – a place where pressure is an everyday occurrence. There, a player is forged who will not lose mental energy in a semi-final or final.

The same applies to tough choices like Russia – a championship with long journeys, cold, and workload, sometimes even with "meaningless matches," which nonetheless still require concentration. Development is not comfort.

Reality is also internal. The Bulgarian championship is more balanced, but not necessarily stronger. There are ceremonial matches that do not develop anyone. The model, according to Nikolov, is fewer teams, more real matches, and about 50 games per season for teams that want to grow.

And the international calendar? The tendency for world championships to move to winter is, according to him, a blow to the logic of the club season – to contracts, to the rhythm, to the very structure of the sport.

The Way Forward

The big question is not whether Bulgaria can win another medal. But whether it can consistently live in that zone.

Nikolov sees prerequisites for the next 10–15 years, but only if the right choices are made.

“A chance is not given. A chance is taken.”

First you show it – in training, in discipline, in character. Then comes the opportunity. Not the other way around.

Here the conversation becomes specific. The transition from a talented junior to a strong senior is the hardest step, where many fall away. In the center, for example, Iliya Petkov remains a benchmark, but real competition must emerge behind him. There are names – Boris Nachev, Preslav Petkov; in Plovdiv, Kiril Kolev and Ivaylo Damyanov are gaining experience, and a new generation is pushing from below.

Zhasmin Velichkov is highlighted as a player with great potential. But potential itself guarantees nothing.

“For a national team, you cannot afford a player with one or two elements. Three are needed.”

The serve, the block, stability under pressure – these are the details that separate a promising player from a ready national team member.

And one more thing – motivation.

“Motivation is not money, cars… Motivation is here.”

Not the external stimulus, but the internal necessity to take the next step when it gets tough.

The club model is also part of the equation. Ten of the 14 silver medalists have passed through Levski – a sign that systematic work bears fruit. But the system is not based solely on one center. It requires infrastructure, local policy, participation from municipalities, and support for mass sports.

Without this, the boom will remain a fleeting moment.

The euphoria is here. Volleyball is once again in the spotlight. Children want to train, fans want to believe.

But if we want this to be an era, not just a moment, we must accept a simple truth: the medal is a beginning, not an end.

The real work is just beginning.