Vital Heynen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vital Heynen
Heynen in 2022
Personal information
Born	(1969-06-12) 12 June 1969 (age 56) Maaseik, Belgium
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Coaching information
Current team	China
Previous teams coached Years Teams 2006–2012 2012–2016 2012–2013 2013–2015 2015–2016 2016–2019 2017–2018 2018–2021 2019–2021 2022–2023 2022–2024 2024– Noliko Maaseik Germany Ziraat Bankası Ankara Transfer Bydgoszcz Tours VB VfB Friedrichshafen Belgium Poland Sir Safety Perugia Germany (W) Nilüfer Belediyespor China
Volleyball information
Position	Setter
Career
Years Teams 1995–2005 Noliko Maaseik
Honours Men's volleyball Head coach  GER FIVB World Championship Bronze 2014 Poland Head coach  POL FIVB World Championship Gold 2018 Bulgaria/Italy FIVB World Cup Silver 2019 Japan FIVB Nations League Silver 2021 Rimini Bronze 2019 Chicago CEV European Championship Bronze 2019 Belgium/France/Netherlands/Slovenia Bronze 2021 Poland/Czechia/Estonia/Finland Head coach  CHN FIVB Challenger Cup Gold 2024 Linyi

Hand prints and signature at the Avenue of Volleyball Stars, Katowice

Vital Heynen (born 12 June 1969) is a Belgian professional volleyball coach and former player. Since 2024, he has been the head coach for the China national team.

Heynen coaching Germany during the 2014 World League.

Vital Heynen's Coaching Journey

Vital Heynen began his coaching career with his hometown club, Noliko Maaseik. He started as an assistant coach in 2005 and became the head coach a year later. During his six years there, his team won many titles. They secured four Belgian Championships, five Belgian Cups, and four Supercups. Heynen was also named Belgian Coach of the Year twice, in 2009 and 2011.

In 2012, he left his hometown club. He then coached the Turkish club Ziraat Bankası Ankara for the 2012/2013 season. In December 2013, he became the new coach of Transfer Bydgoszcz in Poland's PlusLiga.

Coaching National Teams

In February 2012, Heynen became the head coach of the German national team. At the World Championship in 2014, his team won a bronze medal. They beat France in the match for third place.

In 2017, he took over the Belgian national team. On February 7, 2018, Heynen was chosen as the new head coach for the Polish national team.

Success with Poland

At the World Championship in 2018, held in Italy, Heynen led Poland to victory. They defeated Brazil in the final. This win meant Poland successfully defended their 2014 World Championship title. It was also their third World Champion title overall.

In 2019, Heynen coached Poland to a bronze medal at the European Championship. They beat France for third place. They only lost to Slovenia in the semifinal.

At the FIVB World Cup in 2019, his team finished second, earning a silver medal. They only lost to the USA and Brazil.

Club Coaching and Recent Roles

In November 2019, Heynen became the head coach of Sir Safety Conad Perugia in Italy. In the 2019/2020 season, his team, Sir Safety Perugia, won the Italian SuperCup. They defeated Modena Volley in the final.

Vital Heynen has continued to coach various teams, including the German women's national team and Nilüfer Belediyespor. Since 2024, he has been leading the China national team.

Vital Heynen's Achievements

Vital Heynen has achieved many successes both as a player and as a coach.

As a Player

Heynen played as a setter for Noliko Maaseik from 1995 to 2005.

• CEV European Champions Cup
  • He won two silver medals in 1996–97 and 1998–99 with Noliko Maaseik.
• Domestic Titles
  • He won the Belgian Championship multiple times with Noliko Maaseik (1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04).
  • He also won many Belgian Cups and Belgian SuperCups during his playing career.

As a Coach

Heynen has led his teams to numerous victories.

• International Medals
  • 2014 FIVB World Championship: Bronze medal with Germany.
  • 2018 FIVB World Championship: Gold medal with Poland.
  • 2019 FIVB World Cup: Silver medal with Poland.
  • 2019 FIVB Nations League: Bronze medal with Poland.
  • 2021 FIVB Nations League: Silver medal with Poland.
  • 2019 CEV European Championship: Bronze medal with Poland.
  • 2021 CEV European Championship: Bronze medal with Poland.
  • 2024 FIVB Challenger Cup: Gold medal with China.

• Club Titles
  • Belgian Cups: Won with Noliko Maaseik (2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12).
  • Belgian Championships: Won with Noliko Maaseik (2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12).
  • Belgian SuperCups: Won with Noliko Maaseik (2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12).
  • French SuperCup: Won with Tours VB (2014–15).
  • German Cups: Won with VfB Friedrichshafen (2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19).
  • German SuperCups: Won with VfB Friedrichshafen (2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19).
  • Italian SuperCups: Won with Sir Safety Perugia (2019–20, 2020–21).