Historic day for RC Celta, which 97 years after its creation has its own sports city, being modern, functional, sustainable and integrated into the environment. Real Club Celta has opened this Saturday the first phase of the project of the Cidade Deportiva Afouteza in a small ceremony in which the safety and prevention measures due to Covid-19 have prevailed. These new facilities will be used by RC Celta’s first team, which is already training in them since last Thursday, and by its younger categories.
The event, which took place a year after the first stone was laid, was attended by the president of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijoo; the president of the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF), Luis Rubiales; the mayor of Mos, Nidia Arévalo; and the president of RC Celta, Carlos Mouriño. A small group of people, including representatives of various institutions and sports entities, of the Celta fan clubs, the number one season ticket holder of the club, Enrique Molares, Manolo, the great captain, the captains of the first team and members of the media of Vigo, attended the inauguration with a guided tour of the facilities. Afterwards, a match was played between the Celta and Deportivo’s junior teams of the Division de Honor.
Núñez Feijóo, Carlos Mouriño and Nidia Arévalo unveiled a plaque commemorating the inauguration, and then the RC Celta captain, Hugo Mallo, the Benjamín A player, Germán, and the president of the Pereiras Mountain Community, Jorge Lorenzo, planted an oak tree with a plaque that reads: “This oak tree represents the firm commitment of the RC Celta to care for and respect the environment. We hope that at its side we continue to develop our youth academy and strengthen our values”.
RC Celta’s president, Carlos Mouriño, emphasized that with this project “the Real Club Celta continues growing” and that this way “the bases of the future of the club are laid, which today is more hopeful and flattering”. He also pointed out that the new sports city “is on the way to becoming one of the best in Spain”.
This first phase of the project already has three soccer fields and an area of technification and interior installations with changing rooms, gymnasium, physiotherapy room, offices, press room, television set, large dining room, etc.
Cidade Deportiva Afouteza is an innovative and sustainable project that combines sport, leisure and nature. During its construction, based on bioclimatic architecture, the environment has been respected to the maximum, keeping a balance with the landscape. In addition, the building is self-sufficient from the point of view of water use.
The project includes the construction of nine soccer fields and a building that will grow around them. This construction will respond to all the needs of the club in all its categories, while at the same time it will be a new space for leisure and entertainment.
With this project, RC Celta wants to become an international reference and to consolidate with its objective of supporting the formation of the players of youth academy, which is already recognized for its success.
The fans of RC Celta had the opportunity to choose the name of the new sports city. In a vote that counted with the participation of more than 15,000 people, Cidade Deportiva Afouteza was the winning proposal.
President Carlos Mouriño’s full speech
GALICIA, historical in the sport by its great equipment, historical in the tourism by its beaches and gastronomy, reference in the world by great companies and models of business. Galicia above all is its people, hard-working, dreamy, tireless. A place of old immigrants who took this title of presentation all over the world and now make our new generations proud.
Because this project was born from a dream, from endless hours of work, study, difficult moments, where the easiest solution was to give up. However, all of us here present, we trusted him, we believed in him and we keep on getting up every time they try to throw us out, because the background noise cannot cope with the courage, the word and the honor of a clear and beneficial project for all of us.
Because the background noise tries to divide us, to divide a feeling because of its location on the map and we forget that this goes beyond, that the Real Club Celta de Vigo, which with this work is at the level of the city, not under it, nor under anyone’s boot, goes far beyond its birthplace.
Days ago we received an award for strategy and international expansion. That’s why we say from here, that everyone who feels these colors, who believes in our projects and makes us better, can join this great celtic family.
As did the City Council of Mos, City Council that with his work, his passion and his courage, decided to receive us with open arms to install us in their home.
People like this City Council, reminds me of the old migrants who carried the name of Galicia around the world, people (who like us) do not let themselves be subjected, people who do not follow the current to receive the easy applause and the false smile, people who seek a collective growth, without needing to knock down the other. Those who seek the opposite, those who only seek to fulfill their whims and impede the growth of our club, will never be among us.
However, there is a force greater than the mental, superior to the physical, capable of lifting a team defeated at halftime and make the streets tremble with their songs and flags. Our hobby, a demanding hobby that I remember on a day like today because they gave us tremendous strength during this journey. As well as the subscribers who in these times of pandemic collaborate with the club. I want you to know that it will not be in vain and of course, the Federation of Peñas here present……. Thank you for your confidence, believe us when we say that soon, so much work we will see it flourish.
Real Club Celta, keeps on growing, we are in the second longest streak in the history of the club, 9 years in a row in the First Division, healthy accounts, a great venue in the center of Vigo and a Sports City that is on the way to being one of the best in Spain.
The ceremony of laying the first stone always symbolizes the implementation of a project.
But, as I said a year ago, our stone was not placed, it was planted so that the dream would flourish that, at last, we make it come true. From that stone, some facilities sprouted that settled the future of the Club that, from today, is more hopeful and flattering.
In them live, from this very moment our dreams, those of offering to our academy and our fans, facilities in accordance with their potential of which we lacked, in all this time.
Offer the whole world of sport a new place in a corner of our community so that they can enjoy football, once again, leaving the name of Mos and Galicia, on top for all those who visit us.
We planted a first stone where grow unique facilities in Europe, respectful of the environment, integrating, where the architecture is mixed in the landscape, without producing alterations, taking care of nature, decorating the environment with trees and native plants, so as not to distort our view.
Congratulations to our architects and all their work team.
Here will be installed before anyone our first team and, with it, our youth academy, which in his day were Manolo the great captain, here with us today, so were Michel, Jorge who followed Borja, Sergio, Iago, Hugo, Denis, Ruben, Ivan, Santi, Jonny, David, Brais and now are Carreira, Miguel, Gabry, Fontan, Losada and that great pack of young players that will follow, because we can not conceive one project without the other.
And all this would not be possible, we would not be here without the effective cooperation of the administrations, between Xunta de Galicia, Mos City Council and Real Club Celta, this dream is an example of management, between public and private, an example of management that leads us to be here with this magnificent work built in the record time of 2 years and months since we presented the first formal document of application for a license in the City Council of Mos, and one year exactly from the laying of the first stone.
I have to give you my most sincere thanks and congratulations because working with a group that fulfills, that gets involved, that resolves, but most importantly, that honors its word is a pleasure for us and all the celtismo.
I want to remember that we are in Cidade Deportiva Afouteza, a word that symbolizes our identity, our character, and thanks to it we have achieved it.
In 97 years of history, no one has ever been able to pronounce it with the meaning it has now. I feel privileged to be the first, and very happy because every cellist will be able, from now on, to say it with pride.
I have been called a fool for dreaming big, but the fool is the one who does not strive and fights to achieve his dreams.
