José Ramón Gascó is not only the president; he is also a “soul of the Sagunto team”; a man who has always time for everything and everybody – especially his players and the journalists. Although he has many responsibilities, he is known as a man who never quits and always takes care of the job.
His club is the most successful club in the history of Spanish women’s handball despite not winning a Championship title in the last two seasons. On top of all, the club lost its main sponsor at the end of last season. However, this did not discourage them and they already showed great performances at the preparation matches and won the Spanish League ABF Cup.
Eurohandball.com: Sagunto lost the sponsor, Astroc, which was a big financial blow for the club. How are things at this moment regarding the club’s economic situation?
José Ramón Gascó: First of all, I have to point out that our club is solvent. We do not owe anybody anything. We pay our bills and salaries on time and that is top priority for us. Our budget for this year is 850.000 €. With that money we pay everything for 300 girls in the kids’ sector, 3 junior teams, 2 cadet teams, 1 youth team, 1 team in 1st local league and of course our top team.
Despite the fact that our budget had decreased considerably, we continue our work on a high level by reducing the number of players in our team – from 18 last season to 13 this season. At this moment we do not have economic problems at all. As long as I am the President this club, I will take care of all our bills and salaries and we will plan our future accordingly. Things will not change until we find a compatible sponsor that fully understands and shares our project.
Eurohandball.com: What is your opinion about the new players who just arrived in Sagunto?
José Ramón Gascó: I think we did a great job with the transfers. Milica Danilovic fitted in extremely quickly in our playing scheme, and she is now absolutely indispensable player for our team. Mariya Boklaschuk played a great match against Elda in semi-final of the League ABF Cup in Zaragoza when she scored 10 goals. She also plays 60 minutes every match. Only Ortuño plays less at the moment because there is Barbosa in the same right back position. So we are very satisfied with the integration of the new players.
Eurohandball.com: Your club will play the Champions League Qualification Tournament 2 next week in Lublin. What are your expectations, who are the favourites and who might be the decisive players for your team?
José Ramón Gascó: To be honest, the favourites for me are Lada Togliatti. Than comes Lublin with the home court advantage. I believe that it is realistic to fight with the Turkish team for the third place that takes us in the EHF Cup. We have an extremely short bench; there are very few players at disposal of the coach.
I believe that all our players can be decisive: Eli López, Beck, Noelia Oncina, Danilovic, Barbosa, Cuadrado, Macarena, Ortuño, Villabo, Boklaschuk, and so on.
Eurohandball.com: What is the goal for Sagunto in domestic championship and in the European competitions this season?
José Ramón Gascó: The goal is to fight for all three Spanish titles: League, Cup and League ABF Cup (which we have already won). In the European competitions, we will try to cause a surprise in Lublin to please our fans and sponsors with reaching the Champions League and playing against strong teams such as Hypo, Kometal and Larvik.
Eurohandball.com: do you have news about future sponsor of the club? What is the future of Sagunto handball team?
José Ramón Gascó: There is no new news about a future sponsor. We don’t count on any new sponsor for the time being because we did not find a suitable and compatible sponsor for our plans.
But there is a hope because the city of Sagunto wants to support us for our work as the ambassadors of Sagunto, Comunidad Valenciana and Spain. Next year, the city of Sagunto will have the first great development project for the industry of the new Europe on more then 7 million square meters. 200,000 sqm will be owned by Toyota. Some of the biggest companies of Europe and the world will come to this area. This complex will be called “Parc-Sagunto”. It will offer companies an optimum quality industrial infrastructure, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. So, the city of Sagunto has a bright future and that’s the reason to have high hopes for our future as well. We only need to be patient to find the best solution for the future of our club.