Farewell from Nalan Ural

Team Manager of Eczacıbaşı Sports Club, Nalan Ural has decided to end her 25-year long managerial career.

“Our manager’s decision who has been serving Turkish women’s volleyball for 42 years of which she spent 17 years as an athlete, is due to her desire to spare some time for her private life, family and health. We would like to thank Nalan Ural who will always remain a part of our family for all the efforts that she made for our Club and Turkish volleyball”, says the Club statement.

About Nalan Ural

Born in 1965 in Adana, Nalan Ural is married and has one child. Ural is graduated from Istanbul Technical University Computer Engineering.

Nalan Ural started her Volleyball career in Adana Güney Sanayi in 1979. She played in Eskişehir DSİ Bent, Eczacıbaşı, Galatasaray, Emlak Bankası, Eczacıbaşı and Vakıfbank, respectively. Ural had 250 National Team appearances between the years 1981-1997, being the captain for four years. In Eczacıbaşı where she became a professional athlete while playing for eight years, Ural was the captain of the team for two years. Having finished her volleyball career in 1997, Ural was in charge as the manager of both the Turkish National Team and Güneş Sigorta in the same year. Having worked as the Manager of Turkish National Team for two different terms, Ural won the Best Outside Hitter award once in Balkan Championship, three times in Spring Cup, once in European Championship, and the Best Defensive Player award in European Championship during her career as a national athlete. In the Turkish League, Ural won the Most Valuable Player award five times. She was also awarded the Most Valuable Female Volleyball Player award by the Olympic Committee once.

During her term as the manager of Eczacıbaşı Women’s Volleyball Team since 2010-2011 season, the Club achieved some of its greatest successes such as winning the CEV Champions League once, the FIVB Club World Championship two years in a row and the CEV Cup for the second time. Ural not only contributed in bringing some star players such as Tijana Boskovic, Jordan Larson, Maja Poljak, Christiane Fürst, Bethania De La Cruz, Yeon Koung Kim, Thaisa Daher, Maja Ognjenovic and Natalia Pereira to Eczacıbaşı Sports Club, but also helped in raising some Turkish players like Neslihan Demir, Gözde Kırdar and Aysun Özbek to become important figures in Turkish volleyball.