The family of the Endavant initiative have enjoyed an emotional ceremony held at the Jaume I University
Villarreal CF celebrated a special and emotional gala with the entire family of Endavant, the Yellows’ CSR and sustainability programme. Around 500 users of charity centres, representatives of institutions and clubs, officials, athletes from the province of Castellón filled the stands of the Paranimf lecture theatre at the Jaume I University to enjoy a unique event, which included awards, performances and many surprises.
This exciting gala, promoted by Villarreal CF, brought together the entire Endavant family for the first time in the more than 20 years of the initiative’s history, with the firm purpose of giving visibility and recognising the commendable work of the associations and institutions linked to the programme, extolling the success of their projects and acknowledging the admirable careers of our province’s athletes.
Endavant: helping our province to grow
After more than two decades, the Endavant programme has been growing and incorporating areas and groups until reaching its maximum expression. Currently, this project is made up of Endavant Esports, Endavant Solidaritat, Endavant Província, Endavant Igualtat, Endavant Formació, Endavant Club Groguet, Endavant Cultura and Endavant Sostenibilitat.
It has a budget of €700,000 and a total reach of 30,000 people who benefit directly from this programme. A total of 90 associations and charities, two universities and one secondary school, 200 activities for children throughout the province, 30 sports clubs, 28 individual sportspeople, seven sporting events and 8,600 sportspeople make up this large family united by Villarreal CF’s CSR project.
A historic turnout
The gala, presented by Valencian comedian and presenter Eugeni Alemany and journalist Gema Font, brought together more than 500 attendees, representing sports clubs, special associations and institutions and centres of our province.
Also present were authorities such as the assistant delegate of the government in Castellón, Antonia García; the delegate of the Valencian Regional Council, Susana Fabregat; the councillor for the Promotion of Ceramics and mayor of Sant Joan de Moró, Vicente Pallarés; and the vice-rector of the UJI, Isabel García.
On behalf of the club, the members of the Board of Directors, the coaches of the men’s and women’s first team Marcelino García and Virginia García, and captains Álex Baena, Gerard Moreno, Nerea Pérez and Lucía Gómez attended. Members of the Agrupació de Penyes del Villarreal CF (Official Villarreal CF Supporters’ Association) also attended the gala.
A ceremony full of big moments
The event kicked off with an introduction by the presenters and a speech by the Jaume I University vice-rector, Isabel García, who welcomed the whole Endavant family as the hosts of this great party.
Next, students from the Colegio Virgen del Carmen school in Vila-real and the Consolación school in Nules were the representatives of the Endavant Club Groguet initiative. Two students took to the stage to receive recognition on behalf of their classes, winners of the informative competition promoted by Villarreal CF to name and investigate ‘Groguetsaurio’ (Protathlitis Cinctorrensis), the discovery made by Vila-real based Grup Guix with the Jaume I University and the University of Valencia.
The gala continued with an impressive performance by the Fundación Síndrome de Down on the stage of the Paranimf. The ‘Downtopia’ performance enchanted the audience and filled all the centres and associations of Endavant Igualtat with pride.
After the musical show, Sonia Simón, an Aspanion user, and Ernesto Boixader, representing the Celtic Submarí club, took the stage. They spoke about the Fan Fest, a large-scale, charitable event, promoted by Villarreal, which has already been held twice at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
This popular celebration has also coincided with the Cursa Solidària Celtic Submarí race, which starts from the centre of the pitch. The party included live music, activities and inflatables for the little ones, as well as food and drink service at the bars, with all proceeds going to Aspanion (Asociación de Padres de Niños Con Cáncer de la Comunitat Valenciana – Valencian Association of Parents of Children with Cancer).
Amidst all the recognition, there was a special moment in memory of the victims and in tribute to those affected by the flooding in Valencia. Villarreal broadcast a report on the football pitch in La Torre, the first of those to be rebuilt thanks to contributions from the club, as part of the ‘Alcem-se’ programme by Juan Roig and the Fundación Trinidad Alfonso.
Then it was the turn of Endavant Província. Vicente Pallarés, mayor of Sant Joan de Moró and provincial deputy for the Promotion of Ceramics, gave a speech about the potential of our land. Fiachera Brandan, coordinator of Rototom Sunsplash, then took the stage to collect a mosaic and speak on behalf of the reggae festival, which has recently joined the Endavant Cultura programme.
Before reaching the final stretch, Pasqual Riera, winner of Groc Talent, delighted the audience with a brilliant performance. Immediately afterwards, Villarreal CF unveiled the new Endavant Sostenibilitat project, through which the club will work to protect and preserve the environment through a series of actions and collaborations with organisations in this sector.
Nearing the end of the gala, one of the most special moments of the gala took place. Sebastián Mora donated his Paris 2024 Olympic diploma to the Villarreal CF Historical Archive. A detail for which the club gave him a well-deserved recognition. To round off the event, Pablo Herrera, an athlete linked to the Endavant Esports project for two decades and recently retired from professional beach volleyball, received the Villarreal CF gold badge from the hands of president Fernando Roig. This prestigious award is the highest distinction given to the club. Only two other athletes from the province of Castellón, Roberto Bautista and Sergio García, hold this recognition for sporting merit.
The club’s president, Fernando Roig, brought the Endavant Gala to a close with a speech of thanks and inspiration to all the members of the club’s CSR and sustainability programme. The ceremony concluded with an impressive family photo on the stage of the Universitat Jaume I’s Paranimf lecture theatre. Endavant!
