The Yellows have given more than 220,000 Euros in grants for UJI athletes in the last nine years
Villarreal CF and the Jaume I University have renewed their collaboration agreement as part of the ‘Catédra Endavant Villarreal CF del Deporte’, lengthening the activity for the next three years. This project, which started in 2015, aims to advance formation and research in the world of sport, promote the practice of sport and sporting competition through grants for university students.
Eva Alcon, the Jaume I University rector; vice-rector of studies and teaching, Isabel García; and director of the Catédra, Carlos Hernando, were present. Representing the club were president Fernando Roig; Villarreal CF’s general manager for organisation and management, Federico Alcácer; and institutional relations manager, Tino Traver.
In the ceremony, as well as the renewing of the agreement, the recipients of the 2021 Catédra Grants Programme have also been announced. In fact, two students were present in the signing, representing the UJI’s Elite Athletes Programme: Alexis Sastre, Criminology and Security student, long jumper, and Spanish national indoor champion; and Osarumen Odeh, Advertising and Public Relations student, who competes in athletics, and is one of the best athletes in Spain in hammer throwing, and is a regional champion and has represented Spain at youth level.
Alcón underlined that the Catédra has become a formative project that promotes the practice of sport at the UJI, with hundreds of university athletes receiving grants. She also underlined the importance of having a stable collaboration agreement like the one that the UJI and Villarreal CF have in order to develop support programmes to the universitary students who combine their studies with sports.
Roig underlined that Villarreal have been working the the Jaume I University for a number of years through the Endavant project. “We’re extremely proud to be able to help elite athletes from our province, who put it a lot of hard work to combine their professional activity with their studies. As the years go, on, the agreement is more complete. Through the ‘Cátedra Endavant Villarreal CF’, we’re co-operating in formation and research in the world of sport,” he said.
The first collaboration agreement between the UJI and Villarreal CF was signed in December 2012, with the first set of Villarreal CF grants for university athletes during the 2012/13 academic year. From 2013, the club has provided more than €220,000 in grants to more than 300 athletes studying at the UJI. As well as the grants, standout activities that take place through the ‘Cátedra’ are organising of courses and congresses; carrying out research probjects about physical and sporting activity, as well as the publication of their results in respected scientific publications; or carrying out formative and educational activities.
Endavant Formació, backing sport and education
Villarreal CF, through the Endavant Formació initative, has collaboration agreements with different university and secondary education centres throughout the province of Castellón. One of the main collaboration agreements is with the Jaume I University, which started at the end of 2012. The club’s initiative, within the Yellow’s corporate social responsibility project, backs growth of student athletes, consistently improving formation, research, knowledge and innovation both socially and in the sporting side.
