Volleyball Ireland is pleased to announce the High-Performance Head Coach appointments for the 2025/26 international season. The line-up brings together an experienced and passionate group of coaches to lead Ireland’s Senior and Youth National Teams.
The confirmed appointments are:
• Senior Women’s National Team – Mark Delahunty
• U20 Women’s National Team – Edyta Jozwiak McMullan
• U18 Women’s National Team – Erica Fatini
• U20 & U18 Men’s National Teams – Graham Bell
• Senior Men’s National Team (Interim) – Graham Bell
This team of coaches will lead Ireland’s athletes into upcoming European competitions and development programmes, building on the progress of recent years and strengthening the High-Performance pathway. Since the beginning of 2024, Ireland has proudly brought home, one sliver & three bronze medals at the European Zonal SCA Championships across both senior and youth levels. These results mark an exciting step forward for our High-Performance programme, and we are determined to build on this momentum.
The 2025 season promises to be a busy and exciting one for Ireland’s national teams. Volleyball Ireland will proudly host the U18 Men’s and Women’s European Zonal SCA Championships in January, followed by the St. Patrick’s Day Challenge against Northern Ireland in March. The Senior Men’s SCA Championships will take place in Northern Ireland, while details of the Senior Women’s event are still to be confirmed. In addition, Ireland is planning to host the Five Nations Tournament in the summer, providing further opportunities for players to test themselves against top international opposition.
In particular, Graham Bell has been appointed Interim Head Coach of the Senior Men’s National Team, while continuing his work with the Men’s Youth Programme. Graham Bell has been an integral part of Volleyball Ireland’s coaching pathway since his appointment as Head Youth Coach, where he led the Ireland U20 Women’s Team in our first-ever European Championship campaign. More recently, he has been instrumental in developing the Men’s Youth Pathway, nurturing the next generation of players and contributing to the long-term growth of the sport in Ireland.
Bell will lead the squad during this transitional period as the Federation embarks on a robust recruitment process to identify a permanent Head Coach for the Senior Men’s programme, ensuring the very best candidate is secured for the long-term development of the team.
The appointments reflect Volleyball Ireland’s commitment to creating a strong, sustainable performance pathway, from youth level through to senior internationals. We are grateful to our players, staff, and supporters for their dedication and patience during this period of transition. With your backing, we are excited to take Irish volleyball’s High-Performance programme to the next level.
