Yesterday's Reporting and Election Assembly of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation adopted the "Program for the Development of Volleyball in the Republic of Bulgaria 2025-2028". We publish some of its highlights (according to us):

1. DEVELOPMENT OF VOLLEYBALL AS A "HIGH-ACHIEVEMENT SPORT"

"A positive trend is the increase in the number of sports clubs - members of the BFV, which interact with sports schools and whose coaches work in sports schools as full-time teachers of sports training."
"To raise the level of volleyball as a high-achievement sport, the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation must work in the following areas:
- to improve the system for selecting athletes who are included in the extended squads of the national teams;
- to increase the time that the extended squads of the national volleyball teams spend in centralized training;"

2. DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH VOLLEYBALL

"It is of extreme importance for volleyball coaches to have a centralized collection of basic criteria for selecting children for volleyball, as well as practical advice regarding the organization and conduct of the selection process."
"The Coaches' Commission should create a unified methodology for conducting long-term training of junior volleyball players, meeting modern requirements."
"The Youth Volleyball Commission should continue the current practice of administering all junior competitions with a regional structure, by:

- creating a control body within the Youth Volleyball Commission, composed of qualified specialists, to apply the system developed by the Coaches' Commission for monitoring the acquired skills and physical fitness of children involved in volleyball training;
- requiring regional coordinators to select children with specific physical predispositions for volleyball, who are to be monitored by national coaches for the respective age group;
- encouraging junior teams to seek out and develop tall athletes;
- enriching the state sports calendar for juniors with more matches and tournaments from the so-called zonal championships in the individual regions;
- working, where possible, not to register the same athletes in several age groups, so that athletes, in addition to participating in volleyball matches during the season, also have enough time for focused technical and tactical training work, which will allow them to develop properly on the path to high sportsmanship. This will also expand the base of the pyramid of registered volleyball players;
- continuing to hold talent tournaments with an improved formula to ensure a wider range of talented children with potential for development as volleyball players work with national coaches and other highly qualified specialists, receive guidance for their future development, and maintain motivation for purposeful and systematic educational and training activities in volleyball;"

3. DEVELOPMENT OF VOLLEYBALL SPORTS CLUBS - MEMBERS OF THE BULGARIAN VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION

"The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation will support the development of sports clubs that are members of the federation by:
- maintaining a library on the official website of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation with freely accessible materials to assist sports clubs in various aspects of their activities;
- maintaining a separate section on the BFV's official website for each sports club - member of the federation. Through this section, various aspects of each sports club's activities will reach a wider audience;
- provide television and/or internet broadcasting for as many matches as possible from the national volleyball championships, which will significantly facilitate clubs in finding partners and advertisers;
- continue to financially support sports clubs - members of the BFV and volleyball coaches by paying deductions from the funds actually received by the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation from transfer fees from issued international transfer certificates for volleyball players;
- continue to support sports clubs members of the BFV by paying referee fees for matches in as many championships and stages as possible;
- continue to support sports clubs members of the BFV by financially assisting the participation of qualified teams in the final tournaments of the national championships for youth;
- continue to support the activities of sports clubs members of the BFV by providing free sports equipment;
- provide invitations and tickets at preferential prices for observing matches from prestigious international sports forums hosted by our country;

4. DEVELOPMENT OF VOLLEYBALL AS A MASS SPORT / "SPORT FOR ALL"/

"Regarding the development of volleyball as a mass sport, the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation will work in the following directions:
- on the official website of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, a database and information will be maintained regarding the opportunities for practicing volleyball as a sport for all in different localities and the services provided in this direction to citizens by sports clubs - members of the BFV;
- will continue to implement projects such as SERVE and "Volleyball at School", which aim to introduce the general public to the essence of volleyball, to give children the opportunity to experience volleyball, and to convince parents that education and sports are not mutually exclusive realities, but can go hand in hand on the path of young people's personal development;
- will work to promote volunteering in sports among students, because volunteers are an important part of the organization and conduct of all major sporting events, and in our country, traditions in this regard have not yet been established."

5. INCREASING THE PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION OF VOLLEYBALL COACHES, OFFICIALS AND VOLLEYBALL REFEREES

"in cooperation with the Coaching Commission, will continue to assist individuals who do not have a professional qualification "Volleyball Coach" to begin training at the Center for Postgraduate Qualification at NSA "Vasil Levski" with the aim of being able to register in the coaches' register, maintained by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and acquire the right to practice the coaching profession;"


6. FIGHT AGAINST DOPING USE
"Regarding the fight against doping, the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation sets the following main tasks:
- every national volleyball player, national coach, doctor, masseur, physiotherapist, kinesiotherapist must complete the anti-doping program "Play Clean" of the International Volleyball Federation. Individuals who successfully complete the course receive a certificate of completion. Without this certificate, players, coaches, and officials cannot be registered to participate in official matches of national teams, nor in European club tournaments;"

7. TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE AND INTEGRITY IN SPORT DEVELOPMENT OF MECHANISMS TO PROMOTE GOOD GOVERNANCE IN SPORT AS A WAY TO MITIGATE THE RISK OF CORRUPTION AND MANIPULATION OF SPORTS COMPETITIONS

"The media activity of the BFV will also continue to be linked to its transparent management and a desire to inform the public on all significant aspects of the federation's activities."

8. ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF INTERNATIONAL VOLLEYBALL COMPETITIONS OF THE HIGHEST RANK ON THE TERRITORY OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

"The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation was granted the hosting rights for the European Men's Championship in 2026. Matches from one group, as well as four Round of 16 and two Quarterfinal matches, will be played in Bulgaria. Our country will also host two tournaments of the Men's Volleyball Nations League: in 2025 and in 2027."

10. MARKETING AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

The main tasks of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation in the field of marketing and marketing communications are:
- targeted work to increase the presence of volleyball in the media and social media; targeted work to raise awareness about volleyball and to increase people's access to volleyball and to the championships administered by the BFV in particular.

11. DEVELOPMENT OF BEACH VOLLEYBALL

The goals of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation related to the development of beach volleyball are:
- implementation of an entirely new approach by the BFV to beach volleyball;
- increasing the number of athletes engaged in systematic training and competitive activity in beach volleyball;
- encouraging sports clubs, members of the BFV, to develop indoor volleyball and beach volleyball in parallel, for which purpose beach volleyball will be included in the point distribution system for activities carried out by the clubs;
- assistance in improving the sports infrastructure for beach volleyball in the country with the aim of gradually transitioning to a year-round training and competitive process in beach volleyball;
- targeted work for the development of beach volleyball as a high-performance sport, given that it is an Olympic sport;
- securing funding for centralized preparation of national beach volleyball pairs for men, women, and juniors;
- financial support for the participation of the best national beach volleyball pairs (men, women, and various junior age groups) in European championships, Balkan championships, and qualifications for world championships; participation of national beach volleyball pairs (men and women) in qualifications for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

12. DEVELOPMENT OF SNOW VOLLEYBALL

The goals of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation related to the development of snow volleyball are:
- conducting a national snow volleyball championship;
- participation of national snow volleyball teams in European championships, Balkan championships, and other international tournaments.

Read the full text of the programhere: