Croatian Women’s National Team
The first is the Golden European League, which is played from May 28th to June 20th in Bulgaria, and the most difficult exam awaits them from August 19th to 26th, when they play in the European Championship group in Zadar.
Due to the pandemics, the national team did not gather all last year, but the coach Daniele Santarelli believes in good games in the competitions that await them.
„This is our first gathering after a year and I am glad to be with the team here in Zadar. We have two important competitions, first the Golden League and then the European Championship which is our priority. We will play the Golden League for two weekends in a row and we have little time to prepare, but we will do our best to get to the tournament as ready as possible. A short break follows and then we have two months to prepare for the European Championships which is an important target for us. The quality of the game in the championship will be very high, but some teams will come tired after the Olympics which gives us a chance to play our volleyball. It is up to us to prepare well, and I believe that we will succeed. ” – said the selector of the Croatian women’s volleyball team, Daniele Santarelli.
Croatian volleyball players will play in the Golden League with the national teams of Belarus, Hungary and the Czech Republic and try to win a place in the volleyball League of Nations. After the Golden League, a challenging volleyball summer and the European Championship await them, which will be played from August 18 to September 4. In addition to Croatia, the hosts are Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania.
“The preparations we have been waiting for a long time, I am glad to be here in Zadar and I thank the people of Zadar for the great welcome. The Golden League is ahead of us and it will be great preparation for the European Championship as well as an opportunity to see where we are since there have been some changes in the team. It is a great advantage for us to play the European Championship at home, although without an audience. It’s hard to say what we expect since we don’t know the opponents yet, but the goal is certainly to pass the group. It is important for us to stay healthy and I believe that we will be able to show good games at home. ” – said the captain of the Croatian volleyball team Samanta Fabris.
The hosting of the European Volleyball Championship is an opportunity for great tourist and sports promotion of Zadar and Croatia, but also an important competition that leads the Croatian national team to the World Championship.
“The European Championship is an important goal for us, not only because we are the hosts, but also because placing in the top eight automatically qualifies the national team for the World Cup. We expect the European League to qualify for the Final Four, which is also an important item for us to collect points and qualify for the World Cup. There are no key players in the national team due to injuries, but we are not looking for alibis, we want to present Croatia and Zadar in the best way with a result that will be the pride of all of us. I would like to thank the City of Zadar, Zadar County, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism and the Croatian Olympic Committee for their help in organizing the championship, which is a great challenge in these circumstances of the pandemic. “- concluded the expert secretary of the Croatian Volleyball Federation Frane Žanić.
