MADRID, 24 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Endesa Women’s Basketball League was presented this Tuesday at the headquarters of the energy company in Madrid as “the best in Europe”, according to the president of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), Elisa Aguilar, at an event in which the Olympic runners-up in 3×3 basketball at the Paris 2024 Games were also honoured.
In addition to the president of the FEB, the event was attended by the president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, and the director of communications of the energy company, María Lacasa, among other authorities.
Elisa Aguilar opened the “party” for the presentation of what she considers to be “the best league in Europe”. The manager began by reminding the players that they are “the protagonists” and those in charge of “giving value” to the competition. “You are the cornerstone of the project and, together with our effort and work, you make the competition bigger every year and our confidence stronger,” she told them.
Aguilar thanked the clubs for “always trying to improve” and for their “personal and professional ability to ensure that the players are always in the best condition and that the fans enjoy themselves.” “Thank you very much because I know that there are many sleepless nights to be able to get the projects off the ground,” she said.
She also wished to congratulate the Olympic runners-up in 3×3 basketball, who were present at the event: Sandra Ygueravide, Gracia Alonso, Juana Camilón and Vega Gimeno. The first three will participate this season, while the last announced her retirement from 5×5 basketball, although she did not miss the presentation of this campaign.
She told the four of them that they are part of an “exclusive list” that only includes the players from the men’s 5×5 teams from Los Angeles 1984, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, and their women’s counterpart from Rio 2016, as the only Spanish players to have won an Olympic medal in basketball. She also thanked them for “the visibility” they have given to this specialty after this historic summer where they were also proclaimed European champions in Vienna.
He ended his speech by dedicating a few words of thanks to Endesa, for “its role that transcends that of sponsor and naming sponsor”, and to the CSD, for its help “to professionalise the LF Endesa” and try to make it “more solid and sustainable”. “We are the best league in Europe, I say this with much affection and it is a reality”, said Aguilar, who also wished “the best of luck” to the players. “Let the party begin, that is what we like”, he concluded.
For her part, Endesa’s communications director, María Lacasa, explained that they “love” presenting the league in their “home”, and celebrated the renewal of their agreement for three more years, continuing their commitment as a ‘title’ sponsor of the competition that they have had since 2018. In addition, she stressed the company’s intention to continue promoting projects “to contribute” its “grain of sand” so that “women’s basketball continues to grow”.
One example of this is ‘Basket Girlz’, which aims to help girls to combine playing basketball with their studies, and not abandon the sport. The other example was the creation of the competition’s anthem, composed by the group Marlena, who were in charge of concluding the event with the performance of ‘Allá donde voy’, the song that will be the soundtrack to this 2024-2025 season of the LF Endesa.
The president of the CSD conveyed his words of “collective gratitude and congratulations” to Elisa Aguilar and the FEB, as well as to Endesa, recalling that the Sports Law, approved two years ago, states that sport is a right, and that the State has to be behind it, but that “without companies this would not be possible.”
“We need that public-private link that makes the right effective,” said Uribes, who stressed that the LF Endesa is “the best league in Europe” because it has “strong, historic, legendary and emerging” clubs.
She also recalled the triumph of the 3×3 team and the signing of the collective agreement, which means “making a fair demand a reality” which is the professionalisation of what they already are, “extraordinary players”. Finally, she pointed out the signing of the Royal Decree two weeks ago as “a first step to continue consolidating the competition”.
The presentation was attended by the following players: Raquel Carrera (Valencia Basket), Andrea Vilaró (Avenida Perfumeries), Helena Oma (Casademont Zaragoza), Sandra Ygueravide (Spar Girona), Paula Ginzo (Hozono Global Jairis), Juana Camilión and Gracia Alonso (Movistar Estudiantes), Alba Prieto (IDK Euskotren), Blanca Millán (Baxi Ferrol), Ceci Muhate (Durán Machinery Ensino), Awa Fam (Lointek Gernika), Julia Soler (Cadí La Seu), Natalia Rodríguez (Kutxabank Araski), Lucia Gutierrez (Celta Femxa Zorka), Lucia Rodriguez (Osés Construction Ardoi), Deva Bermejo (Club Joventut Badalona) and Karla Erjavec (Spar Gran Canaria).
THE COMPETITION STARTS ON OCTOBER 4TH
The competition will kick off on the weekend of October 4, 5 and 6, but before that, the Super Cup will be held in Alcantarilla (Murcia), where Hozono Global Jairis will be present as host, Perfumerías Avenida, Casademont Zaragoza and Valencia Basket.
Paula Ginzo, new signing for Hozono Global Jairis, stressed that it is “a privilege” to play in the Super Cup and that it is “very important” for them to be able to host it in their stadium. She also stressed that they are “ambitious” and want to have another great season like last year when they finished in fifth place. “We want to do the same as last year but for now we are going to take it step by step with our eyes set on the top,” she said.
For her part, Andrea Vilaró stressed that they are still “in the same group” as last year, and that after two years without winning titles, the arrival of Anna Montañana gives them “that point of ambition and work.” “Our idea is to continue the path of work day by day and we hope to take that Avenida DNA and take the first title,” she described, while also pointing out that the competition’s anthem “is a good way to promote basketball and to attract another type of public.”
Helena Oma, who has been injured in her knee since November 2023, expressed her joy at starting to feel like a “player”, and reiterated that they still have a “great core” from years past, and that the new additions are “working very well” and are “versatile”. “We have to maintain the passion of going for every ball, continue along the lines of recent years and fight for everything,” she said.
Raquel Carrera, who also suffered a knee injury in March of this year, recalled that these have been “complicated months” but that she is “fine” and “eager to continue working.” In her fourth season at Valencia Basket, she highlighted the “character, ambition and effort” that characterizes them, and that their goal is “to be able to compete for titles,” but that the main goal is “the commitment” they have to themselves.