Ferhat Akbaş is a Turkish volleyball coach who leads Japan’s women’s national team in the current Olympic cycle. Japan appointed him in 2025, making him the first foreign head coach in the history of the senior women’s program. He remained in charge in 2026 as the team continued building toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The assignment gives Akbaş responsibility for one of the sport’s most technically distinctive national teams and follows more than a decade of club and international coaching across Turkey, Europe and Asia.
Akbaş began coaching at a young age and built much of his early résumé inside Turkish women’s volleyball before taking international roles. His national-team work has included Turkey and Croatia, while his club career has taken him to teams such as CSM București, Chemik Police and Eczacıbaşı. He coached Eczacıbaşı from 2021 to 2025, working with a roster expected to challenge for Turkish, European and world club titles every season. The Japan appointment shifted his focus back to national-team volleyball and created a notable cross-cultural coaching project: a Turkish coach taking over a program historically led by Japanese coaches. His profile is therefore defined by both early-career progression and an unusually international route through elite women’s volleyball.
Coach Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ferhat Akbaş |
| Date of Birth | 15 April 1986 |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Current Role | Head Coach |
| Current Team | Japan Women’s National Team |
| Career Status | Active coach |
| Appointment Note | First foreign head coach of Japan’s senior women’s national team |