Piotr Makowski
„There is no end date in the contract signed by Mr. Makowski. Our priority remain the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and some other major events along the way to Brazil. We will make sure that our head coach enjoys the very best working conditions for the years to come” Lemek said.
„Our national teams, men’s and women’s, are equally important to our Federation. It is not true that we devote more energy and attention to the men. We invest the same amount of money also for our women’s national team and we won’t make any pressure on Piotr in terms of results and expectations” Przedpelski added.
Makowski said that he is about to determine the composition of his staff. „All contracts will be signed by this coming May 15. I have been following the national league as well as what our teams did in this year’s European Cups. I have seen many matches, especially in Sopot and in Bydgoszcz. However, it’s still too early to disclose the names of the players that will be retained for the national team. I would like to thank the Polish Volleyball Federation because they did wait until the end of the season before they announced our partnership” he said after completing his work with Delecta BYDGOSZCZ in the men’s national league. „We have a busy calendar this year as the European Championship will start right upon completion of the FIVB Grand Prix finals in Japan”.
„Last year we had some disappointments but we want to start from scratch to see a different quality in our national team with the goal to qualify for Rio 2016” says the Vice President of the Polish Volleyball Federation, Witold Roman.
„Piotr has got all the skills required to lead the national team” adds the club president of KS Palac BYDGOSZCZ, Waldemar Sagan, who knows Makowski since 20 years. „He is a real passionate of Volleyball, an ambitious man and coach, who never stops working on his know-how of the sport. He consequently pursues the goals he has set and invests a lot of time in creating the right team spirit and good relations among the players. He always finds time for his players. He went all the way from the lowest division up to the national league, has worked extensively with youth and senior groups both in clubs and for the national team. Right in his first year with us in Bydgoszcz the team finished second in the national league and won the national cup” Sagan continues.
In 2009, as Poland was hosting the final round of the women’s European Championship, Piotr Makowski assumed the leadership of the national team as then head coach, Jerzy Matlak, had to leave the group to stay closer to his wife who had suffered a stroke. Makowski showed his personality and great professionalism by taking over the group and started the second round of the Championship by beating Belgium. Poland eventually won bronze in Lodz by beating Germany in the consolation final. He eventually dedicated this result to three people: first to Jerzy Matlak and his wife, and then also to the men’s national team that that year had claimed European gold in Turkey. The third one was Makowski himself as he said: „You have to be an idiot to build your position on someone else’s misfortune”.
„Piotr is in his best age to take up that position. He already has a lot of experience but is still young and greedy for more victories” Sagan stresses.
Marian Kardas, who has assisted Makowski in Bydgoszcz for the last couple of years, adds: „He is very demanding and he wants the job to be done properly. He hates mediocrity. He’s a very gentle man but he may be tough too. When he gets angry, it’s better not to be around” says Kardas who played a total of 178 matches for Poland’s national team through 1982-2000. „I absolutely have no doubt that Piotr will build up a team that will fulfill all of our expectations”.
A short bio
Born on September 23, 1968 in Bydgoszcz, Makowski was initially working as a teacher at a technical school in his home town. In 1995 he joined forces with Palac BYDGOSZCZ and started claiming his first successes as the junior team finished second in the national league. Starting from the year 2000, Makowski worked together with Leszek Piasecki who led the team of Centrostal to silver and bronze medals in the national championship. Known under the nickname „Makos”, Makowski became the head coach of the team in the 2004/2005 season where his side ended up second in the league and won the national cup. One year later Centrostal BYDGOSZCZ – always under his guidance – won the Supercup and finished fourth in the Top Teams Cup whose final four was played in Moscow. After missing out – in 2007 – on a podium finish in the national league he was replaced by Jacek Grabowski before he returned to Centrostal in April 2008. For the past couple of seasons Makowski was the head coach of the men’s team Delecta BYDGOSZCZ that finished this year’s regular season in first place and fourth at the end of the Playoffs. Makowski was the assistant coach of the Polish women’s national team from March 2009 to June 2011 and celebrated bronze at the 2009 European Championship hosted by Poland and whose finals took place in Lodz.
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