Martínez-Almeida inaugurates the facility in the Ensanche de Vallecas neighborhood
MADRID, 3 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and the Delegate Councilor for Sport, Sofía Miranda, inaugurated this Thursday the new Las Leonas Municipal Rugby Field, which pays tribute to the women’s national team and is located in the Ensanche neighborhood of Vallecas.
The facility has two rugby fields, one approved by World Rugby (representative institution of all national rugby federations), which can host national and international matches, and another smaller one for training rugby clubs and schools, as well as as for lower competitions.
In addition, this facility has two locker room buildings, an administrative and control area, stands and a garden area. For its construction, the Delegated Area of Sport has invested nearly 3.3 million euros.
Several players from the XV women’s rugby team were also present at the event, after whom this facility has adopted the name as a tribute. “If there is a team that has moved us all in recent years, and also in women’s sports, it has been precisely the Leonas and therefore this is a more than deserved tribute,” said Martínez-Almeida.
The mayor also highlighted the importance of boys and girls being able to train and play rugby “and that is why these facilities summarize the importance of sport for Madrid, which is not only professional sport, but above all grassroots sport”.
For her part, the Delegate Councilor for Sport, Sofía Miranda, thanked the relatives, coaches and players for their presence, as well as the presidents of the clubs that attended the event, and stated that “rugby is the sport that better values has”.
The mayor opened the field with a shot to sticks. After the event, which was also attended by representatives of these clubs, in addition to the vice president of the Spanish Rugby Federation, Gabriel Sáez, and the president of the Madrid Rugby Federation, Carlos Fernández de Luz, Los Gatos Ensanche Rugby Club held a demonstrative training run by Las Leonas.