After six seasons as VC Oudegem coach, Fien Callens is saying goodbye to club volleyball. The 39-year-old coach, who won the Belgian Cup in 2022 and was the first woman ever to be voted 'Coach of the Year', is swapping the sidelines for a new challenge at Sport Vlaanderen. There, as a career coach, she will support athletes in the combination between top sport and studies or guide their transition after their sports career.

It means not only a new chapter in her professional career, but also a personal step: "Since I was 14, I have always been riveted to the volleyball rhythm. Now I want to discover what else there is. Still, this does not have to be a final goodbye. I will stay in the sport and who knows what the future holds?"

Fien Callens has never been someone who does things by halves. Her career as coach and mentor was shaped by perseverance and mentality, something she passed on with full conviction to her players both at the Topsportschool in Vilvoorde, the numerous national youth selections and at VC Oudegem. Because also at club level she has set the bar high for six seasons, created a clear vision and helped build a team culture in which Belgian players were central.

Her farewell at VC Oudegem, however, does not come as a surprise. The decision to leave the club from Dendermonde after six seasons had already been taken before the season and communicated with the necessary transparency. Yet it is not a farewell in a minor way. In the Champion Play-offs, its players showed tremendous drive to wave goodbye to their coach in the best possible way. Among other things, the team showed during the 3-1 victory against cup winner and title favourite Asterix Avo Beveren that fighting for every ball and collective mentality are deeply rooted. That character and intransigence is exactly what she has always strived for as a coach.

Meanwhile, Callens is looking ahead to her next challenge at Sport Vlaanderen. Whereas for years she was on the pitch as a coach, guiding young players in their development, she will now shift her focus to a broader role within top-level sport. It will be a shift from team coaching to individual coaching, in which she supports athletes in finding a balance between top sport and studies, or helps them with the transition to life after their active career. The basics remain the same: guiding talents and helping them get the best out of themselves.

Still, the season is not over yet and the focus remains fully on VC Oudegem. In the remaining matches, she wants to see how her players continue to grow and take further steps as a group. It is that evolution, the progress within a team, that has always been most important to her. If the team continues to radiate that in the coming weeks, she can take the next step with a satisfied feeling.

We'll get straight to the point: is this now a farewell interview?
Fien Callens: "That's a good question. I hadn't actually thought about it that much, but I do get your point. Let's just say I'm not really thinking about that at the moment. My gut feeling also says that it certainly doesn't feel like a goodbye yet."

You announced a few weeks ago that you will quit as coach at VC Oudegem at the end of this season. Was this a difficult decision? 
"Not in itself, because I already knew this before the season. I had communicated my decision to the club and therefore I had time to live towards it quietly. But of course, now that the moment is really approaching, I do feel it's a big step. I'm not just stopping at Oudegem, but coaching in Liga A. That's a role I've taken on for years, so it will be an adjustment. Still, it feels right, because I've always believed in clear closure: rather quit at a peak than at a moment when you start having doubts."

Do you see the team still capable of playing for the title then?
"Not necessarily, but it's nice how it's turned out this season. It seems like all the pieces of the puzzle are falling together. Okay, we didn't take a very good start this season, but after six or seven games we got up to speed. Currently, we have won three of the four play-off games and that shows that this team has grown. As a coach, that gives me a lot of satisfaction. What we have built up over the past few seasons is now coming together. It is nice to see that the players continue to give their best, even in these last weeks. It means that as a group we have put something down."

We can't resist: what was the best moment for you in those six seasons at Oudegem?
"Honestly, every season had something nice, except the corona year. For instance, I think back fondly to my early days. I helped expand the club, we had to install a new training regime: to twenty hours of training per week that also took place during the day. When I see how we have evolved with a fine group of Belgian players of which at least 13 or 14 will stay next season, with a nice and motivated board, that is surely something to be proud of."

We spontaneously thought of the 2022 season.
"Of course the cup win in 2022 is an absolute highlight. That feeling in the Sportpaleis is unforgettable. That final against Gent (1-3 win) just completely fell into the fold. But actually it's not one match or one trophy that sticks with me. It is the way we have remained a competitive team in recent years with Belgian players. We have built a team with a clear vision and you can see that in the results now."

You still combine your job as an independent coach at Oudegem with your work at the Topsportschool in Vilvoorde. Are you actually still continuing to work there?
"Talent development has always been one of my biggest motivations, so yes I will definitely keep working there. I will still train the youngest group in the second grade on Mondays and Wednesdays, but will also continue to share my expertise with the selection teams of Yorick Van de Velde and Robin Blondeel. Guiding young players and helping them grow, both on and off the pitch, that gives me the most satisfaction. That is why it was a logical step to join Sport Vlaanderen. I remain involved in sport, but in a broader way."

What exactly will your new job look like?
"I will become a career coach at Sport Flanders. That means I will support athletes in the combination between top sport and studies, but also in the transition after their top sport career. Many athletes reach a point where they have to make choices: how do they combine sport and studies or work? What comes after their career? I will guide and coach them in this. A totally different role from that of a trainer, but in essence it's also about helping athletes get the best out of themselves."

And trying to help them through adversity? You had a bad traffic accident as a 21-year-old player and had to fight all the way back. How has that experience shaped you as a coach and how will it help you in your new role at Sport Vlaanderen?
"That aligns nicely with how I work as a coach. My accident not only shaped me physically, but also mentally. I was extremely lucky in that, but also realised how crucial your brain and mindset are in the learning process. Not just because I had suffered a non-congenital brain injury, but because it also forced myself to be more aware of things, to be patient and to appreciate small advances. This is something I have always taken with me as a coach: a positive philosophy, working from awareness and the realisation that falling down and getting up again is part of growth."

"Look, In elite sport, mental resilience is often the differentiator between a good and an exceptional athlete. Perseverance, the ability to recharge yourself after a setback and come back stronger, these are things that I know from my own experience and also try to pass on in my coaching. I believe in working on the things that energise you. Not focus on what doesn't work, but on what is possible. That is an approach I am taking with me in my new role at Sport Vlaanderen. Guiding athletes in their trajectory, whether it's during their active career or in the transition to a new chapter, it's about helping them get the best out of themselves, in a way that suits them."

Do you see yourself ever returning as a coach in Liga A?
"Not at the moment, but the door is not closed. I am curious to see what lies beyond volleyball. Since I was 14, I've been living in a fixed top sport rhythm and not only me, but also the people around me had to constantly adjust their schedules to the volleyball calendar. Now I want to see how it feels to step out of that for a while. But I will stay in the sports world and who knows where I will be in a few years? Maybe one day it will itch to return to a club."

What will you miss most about coaching?
"The daily contact with the players. The process, building something, creating a team. I still love that about being a coach. But I know I can continue that in a different way in my new role. And who knows, maybe one day I'll end up on a training pitch somewhere again."

Text: Kenny Hennens
Photos: archive and Rudy Pollé