Rugby: Valencia Hurracanes Launch
Launch of Valencia Huracanes puts Valencia on the
International Rugby League Map
Newly formed rugby league team Valencia Hurracanes debut this Saturday against visiting English Championship side Featherstone Rovers in a friendly which will launch them into the international rugby league world.
The friendly at the Estadio de Rugby in Villajoyosa will be a momentous event for the new team who are hoping that local rugby fans will come along and show their support.
“This is both an exciting and terrifying moment for us,” CEO of Valencia Huracanes Dean Buchan said. “it’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this point and we now hope that the community will come and support the team and back our project. We are thrilled with how far we’ve come and how much has already been achieved in a relatively short time.”
Featherstone will bring a strong team to face the Huracanes for the 3pm kick-off on Saturday. “We are hoping to give them a good test but we also need to be realistic, this is our first ever game and it will give us a good measure of how close we are to our goals,” said Dean “whilst it’s going to take time to perfect our squad I think we have a good group of players, many who have represented the Spanish team. I think I speak for everyone in saying we’re excited to see them play this weekend.”
Is winning out of the question? “Never say never but I think getting the team to this point is the real victory. Now we start the task of developing a solid fan base who will join us on this exciting journey.”
Rugby league is a sport gaining popularity at a quick pace in Spain. The first ever rugby league game in the Comunidad Valenciana was played in November 2013, the same year as the formation of the national Spanish rugby league team. Over the last 6 years rugby league has flourished in the region and Valencia has become the home of rugby league in Spain.
Whilst it’s not exactly clear why the Comunidad Valenciana has taken to rugby league more than other regions of Spain, factors such as the large expat population, tourism and Valencian culture have played their part and led to the formation of many amateur clubs which have assisted the Spanish national teams’ progress such as the Torrent Tigres and Xativa Roosters.
On the back of this popularity, Valencia Huracanes was created, but with a unique vision… to create the first professional rugby league club in Spain with the focus being on developing Spanish talent and with fans being an integral process of how decisions are made within the club.
Valencia Huracanes will kick-off against Featherstone Rovers at the Estadio de Rugby in Villajoyosa at 3pm Saturday 11th January 2020. Bar and entertainment will be on from 1pm. For more information please visit www.valenciahuracanes.com
Recent Comments