Idman.biz
Şahin Çatma, the head coach of the "Gənclər" club and the Azerbaijani women's volleyball team under 18, was appointed to this position in 2023.
The Turkish specialist first touched upon the current situation of the "Gənclər" club in his statement to İdman.Biz.
"It was said that this team would not be able to play in the Major League and would face problems. But I think the girls did very well," he said.
The "Gənclər" team, mainly formed from the U-18 national team, finished its performance in the Azerbaijani championship on the eve of the play-off stage (March 27). Although the young volleyball players did not win a single victory, they fought worthily against more experienced opponents, mainly consisting of legionnaires.
The Turkish specialist emphasized that the main goal is development:
"The main goal in Azerbaijan is development. That's why we participated in the Major League with this squad so that the girls could play as many games as possible and gain experience. I think if this team works together for another two years, it can perform at a very high level in the championship."
He noted that children's and adolescent volleyball is poorly developed in Azerbaijan:
"When I came to Azerbaijan, there was almost no development. Some players were just starting to play volleyball and did not have elementary knowledge. Moreover, their height was also short - we were working with children with a height of 1.56-1.60 m."
Çatma sees the main reason for the problem in the coaches:
"Unfortunately, Azerbaijani coaches are lazy. They do not want to work in the initial stage and prefer ready-made, high-level players. However, the best specialists in the world work with lower age groups."
According to him, if attention is not paid to children's volleyball, development in the country is impossible and legionnaires will again dominate the championship:
"It is impossible to solve an equation without teaching simple arithmetic - addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. But that is the situation now."
The specialist also emphasized the importance of continuous training for results:
"To truly master a movement, it needs to be repeated 10,000 times a year. It is important to start this process with children over 10 years old."
Çatma noted that the participation of the U-18 national team in the Azerbaijani championship was part of the preparation for the European Championship qualifying round.
The second round of the CEV U-18 European Championship-2026 qualifying round will be held in Spain on March 27-29. The Azerbaijani national team will face Spain, the Netherlands and Estonia in Group C. The winners of the groups, as well as the team with the best result among the second-placed teams, will qualify for the final stage.
"Of course, we have a chance. We can play against any team. But it is difficult to predict the result. The task of the coaching staff is to give direction to the team and help them realize the work we have seen in preparation on the field. They have not participated in major international tournaments so far. Azerbaijan will play in the second round of the European Championship qualifying round for the first time. The girls will do their best to play a good game," Çatma concluded.
