“It’s an historic day”
Kike Pérez, Málaga CF’s general manager, and Salvador Cortés, architect of the MCF Foundation’s Ciudad Deportiva, showed their happiness and satisfaction at the completion of this first phase of the project. “It’s very important, not only for Málaga CF and the Academy, but for the city,” they stated.
The general manager of Málaga CF, Kike Pérez, and Salvador Cortés, architect of the MCF Foundation’s Ciudad Deportiva, conveyed the feeling of all Malaguismo: happiness and satisfaction at the completion of the first phase. They spoke to the media present at the event.
Málaga Club de Fútbol’s general manager said that “it’s an historic day, a strategic day.” Kike Pérez went on to add:
New Malaguista home
“It’s a day for everyone to be very happy to see these first three pitches completed. It is the birth of the house of Malaguista boys and girls.”
First team and The Academy
“We understand that the first team, more so than at La Rosaleda and the Annexe, with the kitchen, gym and laundry, would find it more of an effort. They’re fine there, they are comfortable, and they have all the facilities they need for the day to day. We made a shift to dedicate it to the youth teams starting with the youngest ones, who don’t require so much infrastructure. They need a gym, but not such an extensive one, they don't need a dining room to have breakfast and lunch. What they need, which we didn't have, were pitches. The little ones will be using them from now on.”
Final details
“In a couple of weeks the focus needs to alter. We have to do some lighting tests as we are next to the airport and we have to see that the lights are well aligned. They were installed a long time ago, but the lighting test wasn’t carried out. We’ll be with them this week. I’ve spoken to the Supercapacitad@s coach and as they train in the afternoon, we want them to come and train this week. The rest, we have a quadrant and, as soon as we do the tests, we want them all to come and train here.”
Pitch for competition
“We have in mind that the reserve team or the Juvenil 'A' can compete there, but right now we can’t set a date. There are no seats, but we will try to make the first official game of any homegrown team happen as soon as possible.”
Great past and exciting future
“It’s exciting that the Málaga CF youth academy is one of the best in Spain. This is proven with stats. Yet for many years, these boys and girls have been distributed in six different facilities throughout the city and the province. If all those youth players have been here all these years and have produced very good footballers, if they have their home and we have them all here together, the synergies that can be created at the level of coaching and methodology, of work outside of training, it will make the club grow even more by giving the children that identity and sense of belonging.”
Fans will soon see the facilities
“There have been 150 people here and still many who are missing. Among them, the peñas and the fans. We want to spend a day with them. We have to give them a tour so that they can see the new home of their grassroots football.”
For his part, Salvador Cortés answered a series of questions surrounding what he considers “a great job.” The architect of the MCF Foundation’s Ciudad Deportiva highlighted the significance of this inauguration: “It’s very important, not only for Málaga CF and the Academy, but for the city. The idea, within the procedures, is to begin the second phase.” He, in turn, talked about the following topics:
Facilities within the first phase
“We have this building that is for indoor activities. We have the press room, the office, the cafeteria and the others are for complementary activities. There is the competition ground, where we have the changing rooms, the gym, and the football fields, which I think is the most important thing. There are other parts that no one sees and, when we are working on them, it seems that no progress is being made. However, they’ll make the second phase far easier for us. There are eight pitches in total. We have three, now another three are coming and then two more.”
Few changes to the initial plan
“It’s exactly what had initially been designed except that, at the time, the sports management believed that the two pitches should be made of natural grass. In regard to the rest, if you see the initial plans, there is no variation.”
Sustainable facilities
“We have a network and a greywater treatment plant that will recycle everything from showers and sinks. All the sanitation, every drop of water that falls here, we want to collect it as it is a precious asset for this sports city. We have tried to focus on the issue of sustainability.”
