Esmugran binds about 600 minors, to whom «we dedicate our effort and experience to increase their capacities and teach them the values of grassroots sport ». It was founded in 2013 “with the intention of those responsible for the Sports area to provide the boys and girls of this municipality with training resources and a healthy life through the practice of soccer.” For this, the Granadilla City Council pledged to award an annual grant through municipal budgets. “The project has consolidated becoming one of the largest soccer schools in the Canary Islands, but with serious problems always focused on the performance of the municipal Corporation,” says the management.
The current situation is not new. Esmugran assures that, “after many years of incidents and delays, once again, the subsidy for 2021 already justified does not arrive, nor is it known if it will arrive.” A fact that produces “the consequent indebtedness for this club and the uncertainty of an uncertain future.” A situation that this entity reaches “due to the laziness and inability of this City Council to approve and manage the budgets six months after the start of the year.” A cause to which they add “the limitation of justifying the subsidy (not yet received) before October 31,” they point out.
But the bureaucracy worsens the situation facing this club. They explain that they find that the City Council of Granadilla de Abona lacks “a legal technician” in the Sports area and that, in addition, they run into “the arbitrariness of municipal intervention.” In Esmugran there is “tiredness” and concern because “the promotion of sport in our society is put at risk.” But these circumstances do not exclusively affect Esmugran, which also decides to act publicly “in support of all sports groups in this municipality, which are in the same situation.”
Other claims
The sports club also demands the urgent approval of the municipal budgets “in due time and form”, the creation of the bases for granting subsidies, “demanding the payment of the justifications presented and not informed” by the City Council of Granadilla de Abona, the public announcement of the position of titular controller, create the autonomous sports body and give stability to the position of municipal technician in the Sports area
From the Municipal School of Soccer Granadilla de Abona (Esmugran) requests “the support of all athletes, clubs and media to, together, obtain stability in training and sports practice that allows us to guarantee a healthy life to our minors and neighbors ».
This is not the only open conflict between the City Council of Granadilla de Abona and the sports groups of the municipality. The Anadona Médano Sports Club has been running, since September, a campaign to collect signatures due to the lack of response from the City Council to its request to facilitate the use of the La Hoya del Pozo Municipal Field for more days and hours (so far it has been assigned Tuesdays and Thursdays). The answer came later. From the municipal Sports area they were informed that the rest of the clubs have the right to use these facilities.
The Anadona Sports Club It was created a little over a year ago, doubling the number of registrants in this period. The 300 minors they have are divided into 11 groups that have to share the playing field, which makes it difficult to practice sports. Therefore, they raise the need to promote a rational use of this football field in such a way as to avoid damage.