Alser Puerto Sagunto celebrates its red-and-white passion and announces its first key figures for the 2012-2013 project

Last Friday, during the red-and-white club’s end-of-season dinner, president Juanjo Bataller announced seven renewals for the team to be managed by Vicent Nogués

This Friday, 29 June, two important social events took place for Alser Puerto Sagunto. The afternoon began with the premiere of two documentaries about the red-and-white club, made by a group of students led by three red-and-white volunteers—Pepa Conesa, David Padilla and Sergio Arnandis—from the Audiovisual Communication degree course at Universitat Jaume I of Castellón. They were titled “The Asobal Dream” and “Red-and-White Passion”. The premiere, held under the chairmanship of Sagunto Mayor Alfredo Castelló, attracted around 150 people and was followed by the end-of-season dinner, attended by nearly 200 guests from the political and social spheres, the media and the red-and-white family, at the Jardines Mar Blau, a local catering group that sponsored the event.

After dessert, a gala hosted by Alser’s Vice-President for Communications, Carlos Argente, began. Entitled “Red-and-White Passion”, it featured a cocktail of images, sounds and speeches from the main representatives and creators of the red-and-white passion. There was room for the club’s medical services, represented by Nieves Peiró; recognition for the academy, with all the youth-team captains on stage; and the official presentation of Alser’s new Academy Director, Vicente Sos. As could not have been otherwise, the eternal figure of Pachi Peg also had his moment, and in his speech he delivered a phrase for the history books:”unlike others, BM Puerto Sagunto has no expiry date”

After this review of the sporting side, the gala turned to the organisation’s two major efforts to save its finances by involving the whole city, including a reminder of the PSG Bonds, that emotional fundraising campaign which enabled the red-and-whites to raise €17,300, and the citizens’ initiative of the BM Puerto Sagunto Defence Platform, whose 8,642 signatures provided firm social backing for the red-and-whites in their fight to remain in the top flight. Manuel Sanz, a veteran club official and long-serving city councillor, appealed to politicians and private businesses alike not to turn their backs on the reality facing the red-and-whites. The business community was represented by the club’s two main sponsors, Elecnor and Alser, with Julián Castellblanque once again making his continuing appeal for BM Puerto Sagunto to be recognised as the most positive possible driver of the Sagunto and Puerto Sagunto brands, giving them the profile warranted even in times of crisis.

The final part went to president Bataller, who, after recalling that “despite all the problems, we have managed to pay everyone and start a new season from scratch and without debts.”, continued by saying that “although you are all waiting for me to say that we will play in Asobal, I’m sorry, but even if we are invited, if we do not complete the budget we will not take part. We have one week left to find out, and we will continue working to achieve it”. What he did confirm was that “in addition to coach Vicent Nogues, the club’s non-professional homegrown players have committed to the project, and I can announce the renewals of David Bruixola, Nacho Nebot, Rubén Ruiz, Samuel Ibañez, Javier Tarraso, Angel Fernandez and Sergio Berrios”

The evening was brought to a close by Sagunto Mayor Alfredo Castelló, who, after recalling that “this mayor has demonstrated through his actions that he is always close to the city’s leading team”. Castelló also stated that it was difficult to understand the attitude of a large part of the city’s business community, “some have problems and others have excuses” . He also wanted to make it clear that “when someone does everything they can, you cannot ask any more of them”, and that he “was going to exhaust every possibility of ensuring that Alser remains a top-flight team, because that is what the vast majority of its supporters want”

For now, the only tangible and real developments are Alser’s commitment to continue with the team, the Valencia Provincial Council’s verbal commitment to support the club, and the major step taken in assembling the initial squad, which has a new manager and seven players from the previous season’s Liga Asobal squad. We must wait a little longer to exhaust the Asobal options.

View the image gallery of the events (courtesy of Miguel Gimenez and Toni Arnau)

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.