Japan Women’s Volleyball Team Head Coach Ferhat Akbaş wished Turkish volleyball to be successful both on the basis of clubs and the national team in the new year.
Ferhat Akbaş, who carried out extensive work with his team in Japan for three weeks in preparation for the national team season, made statements about his new year goals, the current situation of his team and Türkiye.
The 39-year-old coach, who spent his first season in charge of Japan last season, finished fourth in the 2025 FIVB Nations League and 2025 World Championship. The Asian team achieved its best result in the World Championship since 2010 under the management of Akbaş.
Ferhat Akbaş, the first foreign head coach in the history of the Japan Women’s National Volleyball Team, determined the road map for the summer of 2026 with the Japan Volleyball Federation within the scope of the study. Akbaş had the chance to watch young talents by following the Japan League and Emperor’s Cup matches, as well as university and high school tournaments.
Akbaş emphasized that his visit to Japan was extremely productive and said, “During this process, I had the opportunity to follow all the clubs’ training and Emperor’s Cup matches on site. I also had the opportunity to watch the important talents in both university and high school tournaments for the first time. I also had one-on-one meetings with the players in the National Team.” he said.
“NEXT SEASON WILL BE CRITICAL IN TERMS OF OLYMPIC TICKETS”
Ferhat Akbaş stated that they have shaped the plan for the summer of 2026 with the Japan Volleyball Federation and said:
“We have also done preliminary work on the wide player list we will create for the national team for next year. The next season will be extremely critical in terms of the Olympic ticket. As the Japan National Team, we continue our preparations in line with this goal.”
Sharing his New Year wishes, the experienced head coach said, “I congratulate the entire volleyball family on the new year. I hope it will be a year full of success in volleyball once again. I hope that all stakeholders, especially Turkey, at the club and national team level, will achieve important successes in the new year.” made his assessment.