Of course, the transition is not over just yet and it has had its fair share of challenges. "The core of this team has been together for six to seven years and when I first joined, I insisted on implementing a few changes from a technical and tactical standpoint. I did not find any real resistance from the players, but obviously anything new does not always come easy. We have focussed on improving the back-row attack and the serve - these are all elements that I have taken from my work with youth and junior teams, where at that young age, there is still a focus on the technical side of the game, which you need to refine. I think my current players had been working mostly on the team dynamics and cohesion - so that technically, there was and still is room for improvement," Pasquale says.

Since he contracted poliomyelitis as a child, Pasquale has to deal with a disability as well. "It is interesting that what I may have felt was a limitation when dealing with young, energetic and high-performing players has now become some sort of a connection to the players that I am mentoring, an asset that I can rely on so that the players can relate to their coach even more," he admits.

The team is coming together twice a month for training camps in Formia, and the work involves a few players that are yet to be classified as well as able-bodied athletes who are playing in the national league - where they are allowed to do so - and have a background in professional sport. "Their presence and availability raise the quality, level and motivation for the training sessions and even though they do not play international competitions, they drive the further growth of the team behind the scenes," D'Aniello adds.

For now, while still learning more and more with each day about Sitting Volleyball, D'Aniello prefers to focus on the present and mid-term goals: "We certainly want to defend our leading role in Europe and to consolidate our supremacy in continental competitions. However, later this year, we will travel to America for the World Cup and this is where we will see where we stand compared to the major forces in Sitting Volleyball. We have analysed their performances at last year's Paralympic Games - but for now let us focus on ourselves and our growth. After winning gold at last year's U17 World Championship, I was asking myself what else I could achieve in the sport after so many accolades, but I can say that Paralympic sport provides you with an incredible opportunity to challenge yourself and your players each and every day."