Torrevieja’s sports teams receive funding

SPORTING teams in Torrevieja received a major boost last week when the first instalment of their annual sports funding was handed to them by the municipal council.

The Department of Sports, headed by Councillor Dani Plaza, passed out grants totalling €272,616, to the major teams and clubs throughout the city. As Spain’s first winner of an Olympic Gold medal in a Track and Field event, nobody knows more about the dedication required to reach the top tier as an athlete. Mayor Eduardo Dolon’s father tended goal for Torrevieja, and Dolon also played Handball for the city so even though the Municipal Government were forced to cut-back on the awards, both said how important sports and the new sports city was to the future of the City of Torrevieja.

Working out how much each team should receive is a complicated budget matter, but grants are distributed as set-out by the Regulations for Torrevieja’s Sport Organization Grants. Some of these parameters for the amount of the grant includes the league or division that a club represents the city in, the arbitration cost of each team in the development of league and cup competitions, the club's annual budget for day to day expenses such as equipment and wages, monitors and trainers charges at the Municipal Sports Schools and then some! For example, Torrevieja’s Handball Team plays in the higher tiers of the National Spanish league and thus receives a larger part of the pie while FC Torrevieja plays in the forth division of Spanish Football. Torrevieja’s rowing club is one of the best in Spain and the Tennis Team has a number of top ten players. All these items are taken into consideration.

The amount to each club for this annuity 2012 is as follows: Club Torrevieja Handball (140,556 euros). Club Deportivo Torrevieja (61,750 euros), Torrevieja Football Club (27,732 euros), Real Club Nautico de Torrevieja (12,958 euros), Torrevieja Tennis Club (6820 euros), Rowing Club Torrevieja (5592 euros), Rhythmic Gymnastics Club Torrevieja (3296 euros), Athletics Club Torrevieja (3,046 euros), Millennium Athletics Club Torrevieja (3,046 euros), Cycling Club Torrevieja (2,546 euros), Torrevieja Swimming Club (1,864 euros), Billiards Club Torrevieja (1,705 euros), Judo Club Torrevieja (1,023 euros), Grup d'Esplai Esportiu Association Agility (341 euros) and Paddle Club Torrevieja (341 euros).

This year’s budget was almost 30% less than 2011 and while Torrevieja’s Handball team have managed to struggle on and perform well against top sides such as Barcelona, FC Torrevieja lost four of their top players, who were allowed to leave the club by mutual consent, to play football elsewhere. While this funding goes directly to the clubs, the Municipal council also provide additional funding for the day-to-day operation of the sporting facilities, electricity, cleaning, hot water and equipment needed to help the city’s sports teams.
 

Keith Nicol