2024-03-16 21:38:00
Azerrail President Orkhan Kerimov gave an interview to the club’s website.
As reported by İdman.biz, he assessed the performance of the women’s and men’s teams during the season and spoke about plans for the future.
– The Azerbaijan Volleyball Championship is coming to an end. Considering that the women’s Azerrail has more titles, let’s start the conversation with this team. How would you rate the season?
– The season for this team was different, with ups and downs. In our European Cup matches we won both games against the Ukrainian club Balta. Then we lost in the opening match of the national championship. Then they won the Challenge Cup at home against the Spanish Avarca de Menorca, but lost away and were knocked out of the European competition. Later we had victories and defeats in the local championship. Yes, now we are in first place in the standings. But there is a very intense struggle going on.
– What do you expect most from the team? Do you think it won’t be difficult to maintain the lead in the standings?
– Of course, I expect the championship. We have been leading the standings almost since January. Although it will be difficult to maintain our advantage, we will work on it. Because our competitors are also strong. Our closest followers “Murov AZ Terminal” and “Absheron” have strong teams and play well. It’s not easy to fight them. We are glad that there is competition. Because this means development and will contribute to the rise of volleyball in the country.
– What can you say about the performance of the men’s Azerrail, which returned to the Major League after a certain break?
– Yes, the team’s debut in the Azerbaijani Championship coincided with the 2019/2020 season. But at that time the tournament was not completed due to the pandemic. After that, we formed a new team in 2023. If the first team was made up of local youth, this time it included both Azerbaijanis and foreign players. At the moment they are playing well. They are showing better results than we expected, because this team has also been leading the standings since January. Our closest follower here is Murov AZ Terminal. This is a very strong opponent, he is the champion of Azerbaijan in recent years. They have a strong lineup that has been formed for a long time. For this reason, volleyball players understand each other well. We are a very new team and are trying to become champions of the Men’s Major League.
– How did you perceive the change in the regulations of the men’s national championship?
– I have a positive attitude towards this. In fact, we – Azerrail, Murov AZ Terminal, Neftchi and MOIK – submitted an application for these changes. Since “Khary Bulbul Shusha” and “Khary Bulbul Lachin” stopped playing in the national championship, the number of our games was small. The team did not play for two weeks in a row. This is not good. The team’s goal is to play and gain experience.
– How do you evaluate the work of head coaches Cengiz Akarcheshme (women) and Boris Grebennikov (men)?
– We started late to assemble the composition of both teams, including the coaching staff. This happened in August-September last year. Of course, it was already too late. We will try to start recruiting for next season earlier. To be honest, since we started the season late, I didn’t think we would find such good, high-level coaches. But both are experts in duels. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages. But there are more benefits. Otherwise, other measures will be taken. We are also working on shortcomings in the team. The periods of adaptation to the city and the club passed very quickly. Akarcheshme had previously visited Baku several times; Grebennikov came to our city for the first time. I appreciate the work of the coaches of both teams.
– How would you assess the chances of both teams leading in the standings to play in European competition in the new season?
– Of course, the first goal is the championship of both teams in the Major League. I highly appreciate our chances of competing in the next European Cup season. I believe that it is necessary to participate in matches held on the international stage.
– Azerbaijani volleyball is now experiencing a period of revival. How are things going in the younger age groups of the club? Can we look forward to tomorrow?
– Yes, now there is a period of great revival in Azerbaijani volleyball. We hope that the national championship of our teams will at least return to the past era, or even get ahead of it. This is our intention and our path. It’s gratifying that my arrival at Azerrail coincided with a period of growth. Our work in younger age groups is very intensive. This applies to both boys and girls teams. The Azerbaijan Championship among boys under 16 years old is held in both categories. Among the girls represented by 4 teams, “Azerrail-1”, “Azerrail-2” and “Azerrail-3” reached the playoff stage. Our first team has already reached the semi-finals. In the youth competition, we were represented by 1 team; so far we have played 3 matches and won each of them with a clean score. I highly appreciate our chances for this first place.
Also, as the Azerrail club, we organized a “Youth Tournament” together with the federation. Since men’s teams are dominated by foreign players, local youth volleyball players have little chance. For this reason, such competitions are held among boys to speed up their development. We would like to form a youth league along with the national championships in the new seasons. Here young people can get into the necessary shape.
Currently we are paying great attention to children’s volleyball. They are provided with appropriate conditions and equipment. They are our future both for our club and for the national team. A lot of work is being done not only at Azerrail, but also at other clubs to develop children’s volleyball. This is very good. Because we are looking forward to tomorrow with great hopes. When we talk about the future, we need at least 5 years. Even after 7-8 years, this activity will bear more fruit. Here the role of the federation is also great. We receive great support from them in the development of younger age groups.
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