Fertiberia highlight the support from the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation

The presidents of the nine clubs with teams in the two top divisions assessed the impact of the #EActivateSport programmes.

In the second half of 2020, the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation launched a series of grants under the #ActívateSport programme to support families, clubs and teams in the Valencian Community. Taking advantage of the women’s handball Olympic qualifying tournament held successfully in the town of Lliria from 19 to 21 March, which also received the backing of the Foundation chaired by Juan Roig, the presidents of the nine handball clubs from the two top divisions that benefited from these grants held a meeting with the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation to assess the impact of the support and work on its future. Fertiberia Balonmano Puerto Sagunto was represented by its red-and-white president. Juanjo Bataller expressed his gratitude and highlighted the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation’s commitment during the difficult times faced by society and our sport as a result of the pandemic.

At the meeting, which was also attended by Francisco Blázquez and Pedro Fuertes, presidents of the Spanish Handball Federation and the Valencian Community Federation respectively, the clubs expressed their great gratitude for the support and involvement of Juan Roig, through the foundation he chairs, in promoting and restoring the sporting ecosystem after the slowdown caused by the effects of COVID-19. The clubs present were: Fertiberia Balonmano Puerto Sagunto, CB Benidorm Foietes, CB Sporting Alicante, CB Elche, CB Morvedre, CDB Castellón, Club Handbol Mislata, CB Elda Femenino and CB Almassora.

Juan Miguel Gómez, the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation’s representative at the meeting and its project director, wanted to learn first-hand about the real scope of this support: “When we launched this EactivateSport project to support clubs, families and top-level teams in the Valencian Community, we did so because we were concerned about the clear impact that a health crisis—which was also becoming a social and sporting crisis—was having on their structures and on the families themselves. The clubs told us that we had arrived when we were most needed, as the pandemic had affected them through reduced income and, in many cases, increased costs because of the COVID protocols and tests they had to carry out. If we have been able to help in any way with the recovery of Valencian sport, we are already tremendously satisfied”.

The Trinidad Alfonso Foundation’s support has focused on a series of clear objectives: strengthening their structures; retaining players from the Valencian Community; providing security and peace of mind so they can compete with their teams in their respective leagues; and offering support in the face of adversity. The Foundation has always maintained that sport is part of the solution, not part of the problem, in the situation we are experiencing, raising its voice to restore activity in the grassroots categories, as well as helping maintain the structures of their academies so that children could continue practising sport.

During the meeting, Paco Blázquez, president of the Spanish Handball Federation, told the clubs and the Foundation that, from the RFEB, we “are enormously grateful for the support the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation provides to us at every level. They have shown that they are there when they are needed most, and we must work to the maximum to repay the trust placed in our sport”.

“I would highlight the significant boost this support programme has provided to the handball community. It has helped strengthen clubs from the grassroots through the ‘Actívate’ programme, investing in youth development and the future so that it can bear fruit tomorrow. It has also been done inclusively, leaving no one out, so that everyone can practise sport regardless of their circumstances”, said Pedro Fuertes, president of the Valencian Federation.

#EActívateEsport project

The #EActívateEsport project, promoted by the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation and funded through Juan Roig’s personal wealth, consists of three strands: Actívate Familias, to support families with registered children who have been affected by COVID-19; Actívate Equipos, which supports teams from the Valencian Community competing in the two top divisions; and Actívate Clubes, to strengthen their structures and youth academies.

In handball specifically, the Actívate Clubes programmes have supported 75 organisations, reaching more than 6,500 children. As for Actívate Familias, 140 families have benefited.

Overall, the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation has provided nearly €500,000 in dedicated grants to handball in the Valencian Community, as part of the more than €3 million allocated this season to different sports through #EactívateSport.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.