Stefano Gregoris, 38, current coach of the U18 Cortina Express Imoco Volley San Donà, has been appointed by the Italian Volleyball Federation as the 1st coach of the Italian U18 Women’s National Team for the summer of 2025, a great satisfaction shared by the entire Imoco Volley company. We interviewed the coach of San Vito al Tagliamento after the official appointment communicated in the last FIPAV Federal Council.
How did you start coaching?
How did you start coaching?
“As a child I approached volleyball by joining a team in my area, San Vito al Tagliamento, but immediately my interest has always been that of the coach, I watched, observed and was attracted to the role of coach, so much so that at 19 I enrolled in the coaching course to take the license. During the course a my “colleague” he proposed to join the staff of Zoppola’s club, it was 2005, and so I began my early experience as a coach, achieving my goal. Later I collaborated with volleyball realities in the Pordenone area, then four important years for me in Chions / Fiume Veneto in which I matured and started to get serious by always working at a youth level and making important experiences and also obtaining some good results. Thanks to all this I was noticed by Silvia Giovanardi (current youth and scouting manager of Imoco Volley), who was in Bergamo at the time and in 2013 I moved arms and luggage to the orobic city, it was a big leap that saw me until 2017 have great experiences both as an assistant in B1 and with the senior team of A1, and at the helm of the Under 16 with whom We achieved good results at the national level.
How did you get to the Imoco Volley youth sector in San Donà?
In 2016 Silvia Giovanardi moved from Bergamo to Volley Pool Piave, the youth sector of Imoco Volley, and took me with her, It was my entry into the yellow-blue world. The first two years I coached the Under 16, then from 2019 I was promoted to head coach of the Juniores group, and the splendid ride of the four consecutive championships and, which makes me particularly proud, of the four saves in B1 with the same group began.
Championships, victories, but also many players “churned out” for the high level, we have three examples in the first team of Prosecco DOC Imoco!
It is a great pride for me and for all the staff of the yellow-blue youth teams to be able to provide young players ready to enter a roster of the highest level such as that of Prosecco DOC Imoco, this year we have three (Merit Adiwge, Katja Eckl and Anna Bardaro) who have come out of our Under and help out in the first team with excellent results, but there are many others who, after the path with our youth team, now play in A1 or A2 such as Frosini, Cagnin, Brandi, Chidera Eze, Marconato, Trampus, we had even if only an Olympic champion like Loveth Omoruyi came to play the national finals. The fruits of the work of us youth coaches are on the one hand the championships that bring prestige to the club, but above all the creation of players for the high level. Seeing in the main national categories so many athletes who have been trained at Imoco Volley San Donà is a source of great satisfaction.
How did you get to the Imoco Volley youth sector in San Donà?
In 2016 Silvia Giovanardi moved from Bergamo to Volley Pool Piave, the youth sector of Imoco Volley, and took me with her, It was my entry into the yellow-blue world. The first two years I coached the Under 16, then from 2019 I was promoted to head coach of the Juniores group, and the splendid ride of the four consecutive championships and, which makes me particularly proud, of the four saves in B1 with the same group began.
Championships, victories, but also many players “churned out” for the high level, we have three examples in the first team of Prosecco DOC Imoco!
It is a great pride for me and for all the staff of the yellow-blue youth teams to be able to provide young players ready to enter a roster of the highest level such as that of Prosecco DOC Imoco, this year we have three (Merit Adiwge, Katja Eckl and Anna Bardaro) who have come out of our Under and help out in the first team with excellent results, but there are many others who, after the path with our youth team, now play in A1 or A2 such as Frosini, Cagnin, Brandi, Chidera Eze, Marconato, Trampus, we had even if only an Olympic champion like Loveth Omoruyi came to play the national finals. The fruits of the work of us youth coaches are on the one hand the championships that bring prestige to the club, but above all the creation of players for the high level. Seeing in the main national categories so many athletes who have been trained at Imoco Volley San Donà is a source of great satisfaction.
How did your arrival at the U18 national team mature, made official in recent days?
“Some time ago FIPAV contacted me with a couple of survey calls, then I received the official announcement directly from Technical Director Mencarelli who offered me the position for this summer as head of the Under 18 national team. I didn’t expect it, it was a great emotion, the realization of the dream of that kid who wanted to be a coach. Wearing the blue jersey is the highest ambition for a sportsman, I am already anticipating the emotion of the first time I will hear the national anthem on the bench, personally I am experiencing strong emotions and I am enjoying them all. But I want to live this new situation with balance, obviously I will have to adapt to the considerable differences between managing the athletes all year round with the club and doing it for a limited period with the national team, but I am excited and I have a great desire to give my all to do the best possible.”
In recent years, women’s volleyball has reaped a flurry of victories at youth level:
In recent years, women’s volleyball has reaped a flurry of victories at youth level:
“Italian women’s volleyball is experiencing a golden period, I have been entrusted with the task for this summer with the Under 18 and we will play with the group of those born in 2009 the Wevza tournament in Portugal, which grants the pass for the qualifiers for the next European Championship. Some players in the Azzurrine group I train every day, others I know well because I have often faced them as opponents, there are interesting prospects and I am convinced that we can do well and confirm the results of recent times, it will take a lot of commitment and work.”
It’s time for thanks…
“First of all, I thank the Imoco Volley company that believed in me and gave me these great opportunities, it is rare to find a club that invests resources and energy in the youth movement and I was lucky to cross paths with such an important reality, with Silvia Giovanardi, the presidents and the staff we work in great harmony and unity of purpose, and the results can be seen. The commitment with the national team will not be an obstacle to the continuation of my activity with Imoco Volley, this year we are having an excellent season, in B1 we are very well placed in the standings despite the fact that our “pantherines” of the U16/17 and 18 often play against veteran teams, and we still aim after the four consecutive championships to do well at the Under 18 National Finals.”
It’s time for thanks…
“First of all, I thank the Imoco Volley company that believed in me and gave me these great opportunities, it is rare to find a club that invests resources and energy in the youth movement and I was lucky to cross paths with such an important reality, with Silvia Giovanardi, the presidents and the staff we work in great harmony and unity of purpose, and the results can be seen. The commitment with the national team will not be an obstacle to the continuation of my activity with Imoco Volley, this year we are having an excellent season, in B1 we are very well placed in the standings despite the fact that our “pantherines” of the U16/17 and 18 often play against veteran teams, and we still aim after the four consecutive championships to do well at the Under 18 National Finals.”
At the same time, Roberta Maioli, coach of the U18 Moma Anderlini, was appointed coach of Italy Under 19, which is part of the Imoco Volley Center pool together with Visette Milano, Volley Friends Roma and Imoco Volley, leader of the project, created in 2021 to unify some of the main youth realities of Italian women’s volleyball under a single mode of work, recruitment, updating.