This Thursday, the final of the CaixaBank Women's Rasball League was presented at the CaixaBank Building in Valencia, which will pit the teams from the Pedreguer-Rolser City Council and the Alqueria d'Asnar-Hinojosa City Council against each other. The sporting event will take place on Sunday, March 30 at 11:15 a.m. at the Rafelbunyol municipal trinquet.
The finalists, Ana, Júlia, and Natàlia from Pedreguer-Rolser, and Erika, Mar, and Marina from l'Alqueria d'Asnar-Hinojosa, will battle for the title in a match that promises thrilling action. Before the grand final, at 09:30 a.m., the B final will be played between the teams from Rafelbunyol Town Council and Bonrepòs i Mirambell Town Council.
The presentation ceremony was attended by Jaime Casas, Director of Institutions at CaixaBank in the Valencian Community; Luis Cervera, Director General of Sports for the Valencian Government; Sergi Ferrús Peris, Mayor of Pedreguer; Mireia Server, CEO of Rolser; and Susana Serrano, Vice President of the Valencian Pilota Federation, in addition to the finalist players themselves.
A duel with a favorite
The Pedreguer-Rolser team is the favorite after achieving seven wins and only one loss in the regular season. In the semifinals, they easily defeated the Bonrepòs i Mirambell team. "We've been very consistent throughout the competition, and now we have one last game left in which we hope to maintain the same momentum," said Ana. Her teammate Júlia recalled last year's final loss: "I'm very lucky to be playing in a final with Ana again, and now with Natàlia, we hope to win the title that eluded us." For her part, debutant Natàlia expressed her excitement: "It's the first time I've played in this final, and I hope to perform at the same level as I have so far."
However, the trio from l'Alqueria d'Asnar-Hinojosa has proven to be a dangerous opponent. Despite an uneven regular season, they managed to prevail in the semifinals against Victoria, Isabel, and Fanni (Rafelbunyol), which has given them a huge boost of confidence. "This result in the semifinals will give us a lot of confidence in the final," said Erika. Mar highlighted the team's motivation: "My teammates are really eager; being in the final is already a reward." Meanwhile, Marina emphasized the team's progress: "We had a difficult regular season, but we changed our mindset in the semifinals and realized we could do it. Now we hope to play a good match."
Institutional support
During the presentation, Jaime Casas of CaixaBank highlighted the importance of the competition: "Of these five competitions, the women's raspall is one of the most special. We are aware of the progress made and the progress still to be made so that female racing continues to grow as an example of an egalitarian society, where CaixaBank aims to be an active agent and driver of this social change."
For her part, Susana Serrano, vice president of the Valencian Pilota Federation, highlighted the tournament's competitiveness: "The CaixaBank League is the most demanding team competition, and this year it was very close, which allowed for some great matches and contributed to the growth of women's pilota with packed trinquets."
Luis Cervera, Director General of Sports for the Valencian Government, highlighted the rise of women's sports: "You are an example of the momentum that pilota has received. We in the public sector are proud to be able to promote this sport and, especially, to see more and more women taking part."
Finally, Sergi Ferrús Peris, mayor of Pedreguer, reaffirmed his municipality's commitment to pilota: "We are always willing to promote our native sport, especially women's pilota. I am grateful for the support of private companies, public institutions, and the media, because together we value this sport. From Pedreguer, we will continue to support pilota and women's sports."
The CaixaBank Leagues are supported by the Generalitat Valenciana (Generalitat Valenciana), the Valencia Provincial Council, IMSKE Hospital (Ribera Health Group), Baleària, and masymas Supermarkets. Since its launch on January 10 at the CaixaForum, the competition has toured various trinquets in the Valencian Community, and its champions will be crowned next Sunday in Rafelbunyol.
