Cesar Hernandez at helm of France

The French volleyball federation (FFVolley) announced Cesar Hernandez as the new head coach of their women’s volleyball national team. The 47-year-old Spaniard was elected among six candidates to take over from Emile Rousseaux, who had coached the team since 2017 and led them at their Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games this summer. Hernandez is set to guide France in their second Volleyball Nations League campaign in 2025, as well as the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women World Championship, for which they are qualified. France are currently number 19 in the FIVB World Ranking.

“I have complete confidence in Cesar Hernandez to continue to advance the French women's team,” said FFVolley President Eric Tanguy. “He is a coach that we know, who works in the French championship, since he is currently at the head of Neptunes Nantes. He has already coached players from our French team in clubs and performed well by winning the 2024 France Cup and French league silver. He has therefore shown that he is capable of obtaining results with French players. He has also shown himself to be very motivated to coach the selection. I am convinced that he will be able to fly the flag for France and continue this great project initiated in 2017, with the prospect of the 2028 Olympic Games now in sight. He will help to show the ambition of the federation for our French women's team.”

Hernandez started growing up the coaching staff ladder in his native Spain and, in addition to working at many clubs, for many years he was serving as assistant coach of the Spanish national team. He accumulated assistant coach experience abroad with club teams from Azerbaijan, France, Italy and Turkiye, spending his most successful period with VakifBank Istanbul, with whom he won the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship title in 2021 as well as the CEV Champions League titles in 2022 and 2023. Hernandez was also assistant coach of the Korean national team that reached the semifinals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, before taking over as head coach in 2022. He has been head coaching France’s Neptunes Nantes since 2023, steering the team to a national league silver and national cup and super cup trophies in 2024.

“When I found out that the French Volleyball Federation was looking for a successor to Emile Rousseaux, I wanted to apply because I think I now have some knowledge of French volleyball, the clubs, the coaches and the players, who play there, since I have been Nantes coach for a year and a half,” Hernandez commented. “I worked with some players from the French team last season. It is still the case this season and, of course, I followed them last summer. I have a good feeling for them. So I thought that it could be a good opportunity to coach a top international team and to join a major federation, double Olympic gold medallist with the French men's team. It is a proof that they know the high performance recipe. I am very happy and very proud to have been chosen. It is an honour for me.

“I will not only be the coach, but I also intend to invest myself in a larger project, including a connection with the French youth teams to develop new players, but also with the club coaches, who work well to continue to grow French volleyball. I know where the French team comes from. It has progressed a lot over the last eight years. Emile Rousseaux and his staff have managed to integrate new players, who have contributed to developing the team and to qualifying for the VNL. They deserved to play in that competition. Last season, this group faced top international level opponents for the first time. The learning curve was logically difficult. The goal will be to continue to make the team grow and be able to pose more difficulties for these teams. I know there is a lot of work, but I am ambitious. We will work hard to continue to progress and give the best possible version of the French team.”

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