All-female coaching staff makes history for Spain at FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship

As the FIVB continues to promote greater female representation in international coaching through initiatives encouraging every national team to include at least one woman on its technical staff, Spain has taken that commitment one step further at the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship in Chile.

The Spanish delegation features an entirely female bench, with all five members of the coaching staff being women. While nine of the tournament’s 24 participating teams are led by female head coaches, Spain stands out as the only nation with a coaching staff on the bench made up exclusively of women.

Head coach Esther López, assistant coach Inmaculada García, statistician Judith Pérez, physiotherapist María López Sancho and team doctor Rocío Meienberg bring together a wealth of experience across coaching, performance analysis, athlete care and high-performance sport.
Their presence highlights the growing role of women across every area of elite Volleyball, both on and off the court.

For Spain, the championship is not only an opportunity for one of the country’s most promising generations of young players to compete on the world stage, but also a powerful example of how female leadership continues to grow within the sport. Leading the group is head coach Esther López, one of Spain’s most accomplished former players. After an outstanding playing career, López successfully transitioned into coaching and currently leads OCISA Haro Rioja Vóley in Spain’s top division. Her experience also includes working with Spain’s senior women’s national team, and she was recognised as the country's Coach of the Year in 2025.

“The most important thing is to transmit our experience and knowledge, helping the team reach its best level when the competition begins,” López said. “Whether you are a male or female coach makes no difference. We all work with the same commitment and intensity to help our team perform at its highest level.”

Alongside her is assistant coach Inmaculada García, another former Spanish international with extensive coaching experience. García currently coaches Club Voleibol Esplugues and has long been involved in talent development and coach education within the Royal Spanish Volleyball Federation (RFEVB). She was also part of the first edition of the RFEVB’s Atenea Project, designed to promote women in coaching, and is Spain’s sole representative in the International Olympic Committee’s WISH programme for female leadership in sport. “Our coaching staff being almost entirely female gives even greater visibility to women coaches,” García explained. “The work is exactly the same regardless of gender. Every member of the staff knows their role, and we all contribute to making the team function as one.”

Performance analysis is led by Judith Pérez, whose experience includes years as a statistician at club level and previous work with Spain’s senior men’s national team as delegation manager. Having worked in both men’s and women’s international Volleyball, Pérez believes the technical demands remain identical. “There are no significant differences,” she said. “Everyone on the staff contributes their expertise to make each other’s work easier. Statistical analysis is independent of whether you are working with male or female athletes. Our goal is always to identify areas where the team can improve.”

Completing the technical staff are physiotherapist María López Sancho and team doctor Rocío Meienberg, whose work behind the scenes plays a fundamental role in ensuring the players remain healthy and able to perform at their highest level throughout the competition.

Spain’s official delegation is completed by the team’s only male staff member, Team Manager Elías Terés, who oversees the team’s logistics and coordination throughout the tournament.

As the FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship showcases the next generation of athletes, Spain’s all-female coaching staff also represents another important milestone for the continued growth of women in leadership roles across international Volleyball.