His four-year contract had a two-year break clause, which has ended.

Orefice, 39, from Bologna, has coached the national side since spring 2022 and had been in Estonia working with the team since 2020, and is next headed to Slovenia, to take up the head coach position of their national team.

Like Estonia, Slovenia will also be playing in the European Golden League next season, writes Delfi Sport.

Orefice said: "I decided to join the Slovenian women's national team as it is a serious and successful organization, with clear goals and a mentality that matches with mine very well."

In his alternate role as Estonian Volleyball Asociation (Eesti võrkpalliliit) head, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said he had spoken to Orefice last week, and notified him of the possible ending of the contract.

"The first half of the 2+2 contract we signed was fulfilled last year. We gave him until the end of this week to present his vision, and after that we could make a decision," Pevkur said at the time.

Under Orefice's tutelage, the women's volleyball team won the silver league last year and was crowned Estonia's team of the year too.

Kertu Laak, attacker on the Estonian national team, thanked Orefice for his work done over the past couple of years, via a social media post.

She wrote: "Alessandro Orefice, who has been with us since 2020 and took over the duties of head coach in 2022, will continue as the head coach of the Slovenian women's team."

"This means that we will also face each other in this year's Gold League games. We wish Alessandro every success with his fresh challenges and thank him for all the work he did that brought us the Silver League win, and the team of the year award. Grazie, coach."

Orefice's replacement has yet to be announced.

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