January 21, 2025.- Volleyball Canada is pleased to confirm that Giovanni Guidetti will assume the role of head coach of Canada’s women’s senior national team, effective at the beginning of the international season, while Shannon Winzer moves into high-performance director role.
“I always admired and respected the way Canada played volleyball and improved so much in the last years. The number eight in the world ranking is an amazing result and now a great starting point aiming at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. I believe Canada has top level international players and the young generations are very promising, so I am really excited to start this new journey,” said Guidetti.
Guidetti is arguably one of the most successful coaches in women’s volleyball.
Originally from Italy, Giovanni Guidetti has been the head coach of Turkish powerhouse Vakıfbank Spor Kulübü since 2008, transforming the club into one of the most dominant in women’s volleyball. Under his leadership, Vakıfbank has won multiple Turkish League titles, five FIVB Club World Championship golds, and five CEV Champions League titles, including a historic undefeated season.
Internationally, Guidetti most recently led the Serbian National Team to a seventh-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics in women’s indoor volleyball. Before that, he guided Türkiye’s women’s national team from 2017 to 2022, where he helped them qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals, and secured multiple podium finishes in European competitions.
Earlier in his career, Guidetti worked as assistant coach for the Italian National Team between 1997-2000 and participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Guidetti coached the Bulgarian team at the 2003 European Championship and the German national team for nearly a decade (2006–2015), earning a World Grand Prix bronze medal, two EuroVolley silver medals, and both gold and silver in the CEV European League. He then took over the Netherlands national team (2015–2017), leading them to a World Grand Prix bronze, a EuroVolley silver, and a fourth-place finish at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
“We’re excited to welcome Giovanni Guidetti as the head coach of our women’s senior national team. Giovanni’s extensive experience and success at the highest levels will be instrumental as we build towards LA 2028. This is an exciting time for Canadian women’s volleyball, and we’re eager to see his impact on the program,” said Shannon Winzer, Volleyball Canada’s new women’s indoor High Performance Director.
The Canadian women’s team will begin their season in June in Ottawa, Ontario, in the first week of Volleyball Nations League.
Guidetti takes over the head coach position from Winzer, who led the team to its highest-ever world ranking of eighth and its most successful finishes at the Volleyball Nations League and World Championships in recent history. Under her leadership, the program achieved historic milestones, narrowly missing qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Kerry MacDonald, Volleyball Canada’s Chief Sport Officer, said: “Shannon Winzer has been a transformative leader for our women’s indoor volleyball program. Under her guidance, the senior national team has seen remarkable growth, but her impact extends far beyond the senior level. Shannon has driven the establishment of a robust development system, ensuring a clear pathway for athletes to reach the highest levels of competition. It’s incredibly exciting to now have her in the role of High Performance Director, where she can continue to shape and strengthen our high-performance pathway for the women’s national team program as we build towards future Olympic success.”
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