The team behind the team

Coach Serdar is a co-founder of Volley Istanbul. With over 20 years of experience in volleyball, he has worked with hundreds of athletes.

Throughout his career he has coached both boys' and girls' teams, with youth-category results including two Istanbul Championships, a third place in Turkey and a third place in Istanbul. Many of his athletes have gone on to reach national-team level.

He served as Youth Academy Coordinator at Bahçelievler Volleyball Club — where national players such as Ebrar Karakurt and Derya Cebecioğlu grew up — and as Assistant Coach when the team competed in the 1st League.

Beyond developing athletes, he has mentored many of his students into coaching careers; today they work at various levels of Turkish volleyball.

He holds a master's degree in coaching and is also a qualified sports conditioning specialist.

Coach Dilek is a co-founder of Volley Istanbul and has been part of the club's story since the very first day in 2019. A graduate of Ege University, she brings more than 25 years of experience in sport to her role as Director Coach.

A Level 1 volleyball coach, she combines her coaching knowledge with a deep understanding of how young athletes learn, grow and stay motivated. Her focus is on building strong fundamentals, good training habits and a positive relationship with the game from the very start.

Her background goes beyond volleyball. As a former national athlete in athletics, she knows first-hand what it takes to train and compete at a high level — discipline, consistency and resilience — and she passes these values on to every group she works with.

She is also a Level 2 orienteering coach. This multi-sport perspective shapes her approach to athletic development: movement, coordination, decision-making and fitness are all part of becoming a complete athlete. As a co-founder, she also helps guide the club's direction, its coaching standards and its relationships with families and schools.

Coach Çiğdem started volleyball in middle school and played for Kınalıada Sports Club and in the Güneş Sigorta (now Vakıfbank) youth system. As a setter, she served as captain of both her school and club teams.

At university she continued playing for Selçuk University, representing the team in competitions. She now passes this on-court experience on to our young athletes.

Known for her love of children, she has volunteered as a coach for the 8–12 age group at the Child Protection Agency. With her patient and sincere approach, she is one of our athletes' biggest supporters.

Deniz Bakır graduated from Kocaeli University's Faculty of Physical Education and Sports and has spent years working in private and public schools, introducing hundreds of students to sport.

She is known for staying by her athletes' side during training, working with them one-on-one to improve their performance and develop their physical capacity.

As Performance Coach, she monitors the teams' physical development and training efficiency. Through regular measurements and analysis, she tracks each athlete's progress and tailors training programs to their needs.