The influence of coach Marcello Abondanza (53), the “world-class volleyball master,” was decisive for “FA’s greatest fish” Kim Yeon-kyung (35) to break expectations and remain with Heungkuk Life Insurance.
Heungkuk Life Insurance turned the volleyball world upside down on January 2nd, when it sacked coach Kwon Soon-chan, who was in his first season. Until then, the team was leading the team to second place, chasing Hyundai E&C, the first place, but the conflict with general manager Kim Yeo-il, who interfered in player recruitment and rotation, ended in catastrophe.
Head coach Lee Young-soo also resigned after leading only one game against GS Caltex on January 5th as an acting coach. After the game on this day, Kim Yeon-kyung said, “I don’t understand the manager’s hardship. There are games lost due to club intervention,” he said. “In the end, you want a manager who listens well to the club. I don’t know who he is hard for, ”he even openly expressed his dissatisfaction. 바카라
Heungkuk Life Insurance played 10 games under the acting coach Kim Dae-kyung. In the meantime, Kim Ki-joong, head coach of Sunseon Girls’ High School, was appointed as the new command tower, but there was also a skit that was canceled when he declined due to opposition from public opinion. When Kim Yeon-kyung became a free agent, it was considered an established fact that he would leave Heungkuk Life Insurance.
But there was a twist. On February 19, Heungkuk Life Insurance succeeded in recruiting world-renowned manager Abondanza. Abondanza, who was born in Italy and served as the coach of the national teams of Bulgaria, Canada and Greece, is a master of global club teams such as Azerbaijan’s Lavita Baku, Türkiye Fenerbahce, and Italy’s Zanetti Bergamo.
In particular, there is a relationship with Kim Yeon-kyung for four seasons from the 2013-2014 season. The two won the league twice and won the European Volleyball Federation (CEV) Champions League together, so they had a strong relationship of trust.
Head coach Abondanza, who led the team from the Korea Expressway Corporation match on February 23, won 5 wins and 2 losses in the last 7 games, leading Heungkuk Life Insurance to win the regular league comeback. After two consecutive victories against Korea Expressway Corporation in the championship game, he became the victim of a reverse sweep for the first time in history, losing the unified championship, but coach Abondanza is contracted to lead the team for two more seasons.
After the championship game, coach Abondanza had a direct meeting with Kim Yeon-kyung to stay, and captured the heart of Kim Yeon-kyung, who was considering a transfer. On the 16th, Heungkuk Life Insurance officially announced an FA contract with Kim Yeon-kyung as a one-year contract for a total compensation of 775 million won (annual salary of 475 million won, an option of 300 million won). I received 775 million won (25% salary cap, 50% option cap) that a player can receive from the total amount of V-League women’s compensation (1.9 billion won in salary cap, 600 million won in option cap, and 300 million won in victory bonus).
Kim Yeon-kyung said, “I had a lot of thoughts because it was the first FA in my life. The coach’s plan for the season was a big reason why I made up my mind.” Coach Abondanza also said, “Kim Yeon-kyung is a volleyball player who has a good influence on the team in many areas, including technical as well as mental aspects. He was happy to be able to work with such a player in the future.”