Volleyball Congress Brings Daniele Santarelli Back to Portugal

Between 9 and 11 May, Colégio Efanor, in Matosinhos, hosted the International Volleyball Coaches Congress, an in-person event featuring Daniele Santarelli, one of the world's leading coaches today. Organised by the Faculties of Physical Education and Sport (FEFD) and Sport and Physical Education (FDEF) of Lusófona University - Lisbon University Centre (CUL) and Lusófona University - Porto University Centre (CUP), the congress was an accredited training initiative for coaches.

This congress also held special significance as part of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Clube Lusófona Voleibol, a structure based within the Faculty of Physical Education at Lusófona University - Lisbon University Centre, whose mission is to foster community engagement.

The initiative marked the revival of a practice once common in Portugal — the organisation of international congresses featuring the greatest names in world volleyball, a tradition steeped in history and significance.

After a six-year hiatus, the institution returned to an old-school in-person format, bringing to the country one of today’s most distinguished coaches.

The first day, Friday evening, was dedicated to a debate on women’s volleyball in Portugal, with the participation of key figures such as Hugo Silva (national team coach), Mário Martins (Colégio Efanor), Percy Oncken (world champion and technical supervisor at Lusófona Voleibol), and Francisco Fidalgo (President of ANTV).

On Saturday and Sunday, the event focused on intensive training sessions led by Daniele Santarelli.

The Italian coach shared with participants his high-performance coaching vision for women’s volleyball, covering technical content, working methodologies, and concrete examples drawn from his international experience. The training was enriched with videos, images, and exclusive materials prepared with his own Italian team, aiming to practically and realistically illustrate his approaches.

One of the highlights of the congress was the practical demonstration held on Saturday afternoon, 10 May, on court, with technical exercises led by Daniele Santarelli and performed by youth athletes from the ULusófona team. This practical session allowed participants to witness, in real time, how the coach works on different aspects of the game, from technical preparation to team dynamics.

The athletes, who travelled specifically from Lisbon for the event, had a unique experience sharing the court with one of the biggest names in world volleyball. The session also featured collaboration from other local players, including athletes from Colégio Efanor and the National First Division.

This event was organised by lecturer João Saudade and his team of collaborators from Lusófona Voleibol, with support from the institutional services.

The congress represented a unique opportunity for direct contact with high-performance sport, promoting the professional development and continuous improvement of volleyball professionals.

View the Event Photos on ULusófona’s Facebook

Photography
Catarina Machado

Coverage
Catarina Machado

Editing
Catarina Machado

Report
Mariana Devezas