Statement from the President of Alser BM Puerto Sagunto

NOW THAT WE ARE LAST

Now that we are last, I want to recall a meeting held at La Pérgola 13 or 14 years ago. Pedro Conde called me because my son played in the youth team. We were informed there that the Club was disappearing because we had been relegated to the regional division, there was no board, there were significant debts, there was no supporter base, and we did not have enough players to form a team for the following season, as most of those we had did not want to continue playing... That really was a problem, unlike today!

This Club is now more than 60 years old and has had to rise from the ashes on more than one occasion. I am certain that, both on those previous occasions and during the one I experienced, the CLUB came through for the same reason: those of us who carry the PUERTO-SAGUNTO HANDBALL CLUB in our hearts—and in this town, that means all of us—are capable of uniting and putting our very best on the table so that this institution, with which we identify more than any other, endures, grows and becomes great.

As President, I have experienced promotion to the first national division in Lérida and the difficult years spent competing in that division with a completely amateur team. I experienced the challenge posed by ALSER's sponsorship, to build a project that would take us to the top division, and I have led the CLUB's necessary transformation to achieve that objective.

Have we made mistakes? Certainly. We have certainly made many mistakes, and as president I am ultimately responsible. Could things have been done differently? Of course.

But in the end, through hard work, everyone's support and a little luck, we were promoted to ASOBAL. After 40 years, we reached ASOBAL. We stayed up for one year and now we are last. Everyone will think that we are last for one reason or another, and that we should not be in this position if we had done things better—and perhaps everyone is right.

But I believe there is one main reason, THE reason with capital letters: our income has fallen by €250,000 compared with last season. This loss of income has weakened the team and made it impossible for this project to continue as we are. It is impossible to assemble an ASOBAL team on our current income. The ASOBAL agreement with the PLAYERS' ASSOCIATION stipulates that only four players in the team may be non-professionals. AND THAT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE.

Given this situation and the difficult economic circumstances, our main sponsor ALSER tells us that it will withdraw its sponsorship if we are unable to maintain an elite project. If ALSER withdraws its sponsorship, it would be difficult for us to remain above the regional division, and the academy players' fees would have to be tripled to cover costs, or the buses and other services would have to be withdrawn.

In short, quite a situation!

But the solution is simple: we must secure an additional €300,000 in stable sponsorship, on top of what we already have, to allow us to continue with the project in ASOBAL, or in PLATA, with a team capable of gaining promotion.

And that is what we are doing. We have approached the political groups at the Town Hall so that they support the Mayor in his efforts to secure new sponsors, making it perfectly clear that we do not want municipal grants, which would be unacceptable given the unemployment and economic difficulties affecting our population. The groups' support has been unanimous, each with its own qualifications, as could not be otherwise, but their support is beyond dispute.

We are strengthening a platform of prominent figures from the social and business worlds that will also provide civic support for these efforts, while developing other initiatives in the same direction.

Finally, we will convene an Extraordinary General Meeting of all members at the end of next April.

This is the roadmap. The CLUB needs everyone's support and unity more than ever to achieve what is absolutely essential.

We are putting everything on the line now. There is no alternative: either we move upwards or we will spend a long time in the lower divisions, waiting for another ALSER to emerge.

All together, by attending the sports hall and supporting the initiatives that are adopted, we can achieve it.

I WILL NOT GIVE UP! And I am certain that neither will you.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.