Sport returns to three villages affected by the DANA storm thanks to Barça

BarcelonaLast week, the sound of a bouncing ball echoed once again in the Catarroja municipal sports hall. This sports facility was devastated a year ago when floodwaters claimed dozens of lives in this town. Lives, memories, property, and dreams of thousands of Valencians were lost. A year later, life is resurfacing in the area hardest hit by the storm, but the pain remains. While Ferran Torres celebrated his goal against Elche with a commemorative shirt, the FC Barcelona Foundation has worked for months to rebuild three sports facilities in the area, located in three of the most affected municipalities: Catarroja, Paiporta, and Benetússer. Initially, the plan was for the three facilities to be the Maria Pina Municipal Sports Center in Benetússer, the Catarroja Municipal Sports Center, and the El Terrer Municipal Football Field in Paiporta. However, it was later agreed that instead of the football field, the work in Paiporta would be carried out at the municipal sports center, a semi-open court. "At the Barça Foundation, there are a few of us with experience in international humanitarian aid who have worked in natural disasters or conflicts. People responded beautifully to the DANA storm, very generously, but what we wanted was to listen to them to understand their needs once the days were over. So, a few weeks after the DANA storm, we went to the area and met the mayors personally when it was still full of piles of cars and mud. "It fits with our idea of ​​using sport as a tool for social transformation," he adds.

Last February, Segú returned to the area, this time accompanied by members of the club's board. Taking advantage of a Copa del Rey match in Valencia, a delegation led by President Laporta met with the mayors of Benetússer, Eva Sanz; Catarroja, Lorena Silvent; and Paiporta, Maribel Albalat. The group visited all three municipalities, which served to strengthen dialogue with local authorities and finalize their plans. However, it also prompted a statement of complaint from the Barça supporters' clubs in Catarroja and Massanassa, who felt ignored because they weren't visited. "It was moving to speak with people from the town halls who are Barça fans; it was wonderful for them that Barça came to contribute," explains the head of the foundation.

To carry out the renovations, Barça and the foundation committed to establishing a special fund from the foundation's own resources and raising additional funds through a charity auction of the jerseys worn by the first-team players in the derby against Espanyol and the match against Valencia, raising €100,000. They also opened a donation channel, which allowed them to secure the total investment of €300,000, with €100,000 allocated to each municipality. The foundation recalls the intense pressure they faced a year ago to take action. "Barça is huge, everyone expects things from us, and we kept telling ourselves we weren't doing anything. But our experience told us that with humanitarian aid you have to be cool-headed and know how to manage things. Sometimes people with good intentions try to help and create problems, like the people who were taking out the mud and sending it down the drains, where it solidifies and causes damage. In 2010, six months later, I went back and the aid was piled up at the airport, not reaching the people," Segú explains.

Barça has worked with one of its equipment suppliers, Tarkett Sports, to carry out the necessary work at these sports facilities: replacing the flooring, scoreboards, and stands depending on the extent of the damage. "Working with a supplier we know has helped create a more efficient dialogue," says Segú, who especially praises the diligence of the mayor of Catarroja, who allowed them to go to work. This will be the first facility to be officially reopened, although the town's young people have been using it for a few days now, before the official ceremony. "As it should be," says Segú, since "it was done with them, the young people, in mind." "My heart broke when I heard that there were elderly people who couldn't go outside for months. We have to think about people, and young people need facilities," he explains. In fact, many football clubs in the area still don't have their fields repaired and are struggling to stay afloat. "Now we have to see when the other two will be finished. The one in Paiporta will take a little longer, since it's the municipality that was most devastated," Segú points out.

And all of this under the watchful eye of the professionals. "Ferran Torres has been following it closely, asking us questions. As a Valencian, he was very affected and recorded a video supporting the victims and wanted to make donations. Iñaki Peña also wanted to help. In fact, we advised the players on how to make donations to the organizations working on the ground. He's an exceptional guy who has helped a lot," concludes the head of the foundation.