FER Project reaches 142 athletes and 1.2 million aid
Sponsored by Juan Roig’s Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, also known as Foment d’Esportistes amb Reptes, the RES initiative marked its tenth edition this Friday. The program continues to support Valencian athletes, announcing a season that includes 140 scholarships for 2022 and 53 new faces. The aim remains clear: build Olympic cycle success and assemble a grand delegation for the next Paris Games for athletes who stay committed for more than two years.
The 140 athletes are divided into three longstanding categories. In the Elite level, 37 participants will receive stipends of 12,000 to 16,000 euros. Thirty-three? correction: 43 athletes fall into the Promises tier, with awards between 6,000 and 8,000 euros. Sixty young competitors belong to the Nursery category, earning allowances from 2,000 to 3,000 depending on their results. The program’s motto, Valencian Revolution, framed the presentation at the central track of L’Alqueria del Basket, Valencia Basket Club’s home court. Roig, the Foundation’s largest shareholder, leads a tenth year of both the Foundation and the FER Project, with scholarships representing a one-million-euro investment from Roig’s assets in this cycle [Source: FER Project]
Since its inception, the FER Project has grown into a broad program. Over the past decade, 1,126 scholarships have been awarded to athletes, with roughly equal gender distribution: 55% men and 45% women. Additionally, 80 FER Instructor fellowships were granted under a five-year plan. The total investment attributed to the FER Project, which began with only seventeen athletes in 2013, nears eight million euros over the last ten years [Source: FER Project].
Project organizers drew a parallel with the French Revolution, describing the Valencian Revolution as a national sport movement aligned with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The FER Project’s narrative emphasizes a local surge that mirrors broader historical shifts, underscoring the region’s commitment to sport as a catalyst for growth [Source: FER Project].
Juan Miguel Gómez, head of the Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, reviewed 2021 and highlighted the return of popular athletes to the Valencia Half Marathon and Marathon. He noted that the essence of these events lies in the participation of passionate amateurs as much as in elite results. He added that while attracting big brands is important for international visibility, the heart of the program rests with the everyday athletes who fuel the sport’s soul [Source: Trinidad Alfonso Foundation].
Looking ahead, Gómez projected significant turnout: by year’s end, participation in the Central event could reach 20,000 through the Middle distance and 30,000 in the Marathon. He stressed the ongoing pursuit of top-tier brands while keeping a steady belief in breaking more records, signaling ambition without losing sight of community impact [Source: Trinidad Alfonso Foundation].
The Foundation’s leadership reiterated that transforming the Valencian Community into a national sports hub remains a core objective. This vision positions the region as a reference point for sports development at the national level and invites ongoing collaboration with major events and tournaments across disciplines [Source: FER Project].
Event organizers described multiple strategies to advance the initiative, including attracting a broad range of tournaments to the region. The year 2021 stood out as a landmark, hosting European Women’s Basketball and the Women’s Handball World Cup, with further collaboration across prominent events. The narrative emphasizes the value of hosting large-scale competitions as a driver for regional sports growth and international recognition [Source: FER Project].
Staff reflected positively on the 2021 balance, noting that the actions taken during the pandemic years helped prevent a massive drop in youth participation. Official data indicated that federation licenses did not merely stabilize; they grew, highlighting resilience within Valencian sport and the ongoing appeal of athletics at every level [Source: FER Project].
Among the attendees were several presidents of Spanish federations, along with Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, and Miguel Carballeda, president of the Spanish Paralympic Committee. Sport leaders from various disciplines—basketball, athletics, gymnastics, handball, rugby, and taekwondo—participated to celebrate the program’s tenth anniversary [Source: FER Project].
A delegation from Valencia Basket, led by president Vicente Sol, joined representatives from community football clubs, including Villarreal’s major shareholder Fernando Roig, Levante’s president Quico Catalán, and Valencia CF’s Miguel Ángel Bossio, together with federation presidents. Prominent Spanish and Valencian sport figures, such as Pau Gasol, Saúl Craviotto, Teresa Perales, Ray Zapata, Roberto Bautista, Carolina Marín, Carlos Soler, Pau Torres, and Gideón Guardiolawere among those featured through congratulatory videos marking the milestone [Source: FER Project].