Vital Heynen is a Belgian volleyball coach known for a highly international career across national teams and professional clubs. In 2026 he remains head coach of China’s men’s national team, a role the Chinese Volleyball Association gave him in 2024. The assignment followed national-team work with Germany, Belgium and Poland and placed Heynen in charge of a program seeking to rebuild its position in Asian and global men’s volleyball. China’s official 2026 national-team roster continues to list him as head coach.
Heynen’s defining international achievement came with Poland, which won the 2018 FIVB World Championship under his direction. Earlier, he had taken Germany to bronze at the 2014 World Championship and coached his native Belgium through a period of improved European competitiveness. His club career has included leading teams in Germany, Poland, Turkey and Italy, and he has also crossed into elite women’s volleyball, including a spell with the German women’s national team. Heynen is often associated with an expressive sideline presence, but his more durable coaching profile is the breadth of systems and player groups he has managed. Moving from established European medal contenders to China requires a different form of program building, making his current role less a continuation of one club formula than another adaptation in a career defined by international movement.
Coach Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Vital Heynen |
| Date of Birth | 12 June 1969 |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Current Role | Head Coach |
| Current Team | China Men’s National Team |
| Career Status | Active coach |
| Selected Coaching Achievement | FIVB World Championship winner with Poland men (2018) |