«This must be the price that the national water polo champion team has to pay for their “stubbornness” in persisting in being the sport's leader in Portugal, without having the conditions similar to those of their competition opponents». The outburst is from the direction of Portinado, the team based in Portimão, which is one game away from becoming, for the third consecutive time, national champion of the 1st National Division of Water Polo.
Only the final game, decisive, in front of Salgueiros, instead of being played in the Algarve, it will have to be played in Rio Maior, about 450 kilometers from Portimão.
In other words, as happened last season, Portinado returns this year not having the necessary conditions in the Algarve to carry out the two games of the Play-Off final of the National Championship.
The team had even announced that these two games would be played in Loulé, but as this pool does not have water heating, another solution had to be found.
«Despite the ready availability of the Loulé and Faro in ceding their sports facilities for the holding of the two games on the next weekend, the current weather conditions do not allow to guarantee that the water temperature of the two pools can be at 24º (temperature required by the regulations), so that it is possible to carry out the these meetings”, explains Portinado.
And so, so that the national title does not have to be discussed at the secretariat, if the conditions for holding the games in the Algarve were not met, Portinado is forced to resort to renting the Olympic swimming pool in Rio Maior.
Now, as he pointed out in statements to the Sul Informação the club president José Marques, «costs 500 euros per game, plus travel and accommodation, which is very difficult to support during the period of great financial difficulties that the club is going through».
But, more importantly, stressed José Marques, is that «at this distance from the Algarve, we will hardly have a good human frame of supporters to support us. No matter how good our fans are, playing more than 400 kilometers from home makes it very difficult for our fans to travel».
«There we go once again to play at home, but 400 kilometers away…», lamented the president of Portinado.
Difficulties and more difficulties
José Marques also pointed out that «despite all the work that Portinado has been developing in favor of the sport, it has not translated into any change for better training conditions and player support. We still only have at our disposal the old municipal swimming pool of Portimão».
But it is not only at the Water Polo – where there are teams at all levels, starting with training – that there are difficulties, despite successive national titles won.
«In swimming, in addition to Alexandre Agostinho, who is about to qualify for the Olympic Games in London, we also have Miguel Nascimento, who has already won several national competitions and recently won a bronze medal at an international Meeting in Cyprus. But we are the only ones in the country – if not in Europe – where we have athletes competing at this level who are forced to swim in a 25-metre pool», he added.
«Once in a while, we do training in the Quarteira pool, which has 50-metre lanes, but that means increased costs, in the use of the pool and travelling», explained José Marques.
In all, between water polo and swimming, Portinado moves more than 250 athletes of various ages and levels. It is a training work that the club president considers to be "very important". “Over the years of Portinado's existence, hundreds and hundreds of young people have passed through the club, who have graduated here physically and beyond. In fact, we are very proud to say that most of our athletes are also good students».
Only national champion men's team in the Algarve
In water polo, Portinado is a game away from being, for the third consecutive year, national champion of the sport, in its 1st Senior Division.
But getting here is always a “huge effort, by athletes and coaches”. The athletes, seniors, many of them already working and with their families, have to train every day at night, from 21 pm to 00 pm. On weekends, they are almost always expected to take long trips, since, in addition to Portinado, in the Algarve, and Sporting and Amadora, in the Lisbon area, all the other teams competing for the national Water Polo are from the North.
Portinado, along with Gil Eanes' female handball, is the only club that has managed to bring national titles from the 1st division to the Algarve. But not even that changes the attitude of public and private authorities in relation to the club.
“Unfortunately, attention is always turned to football”. And just last season, the Portimão City Council spent millions on the reconstruction of the Estádio do Portimonense, when the club rose to the Primeira Liga. And that soon after descended again to the II League, where he now struggles to maintain himself.
“We are about to become national champions for the third consecutive time, but we don't even have a swimming pool in conditions, despite the projects and intentions announced in recent years. In addition to our record, I guarantee that we do much more training for youth than Portimonense. But attention is always turned to football…», laments José Marques.
With all the difficulties, and after Portinado had cut its expenses as much as possible, namely «lowering the salaries of technicians and employees, which were already low», the direction of the Portimão club does not know if it will be able to continue.
«At the end of this season, we will have to make a very serious reflection on the situation, in order to decide if all the effort made will be worth it and if there are conditions to maintain a team that has guaranteed so much prestige to the city and the region. ».
However, next weekend, the final play-off games are scheduled for 18:30 on Saturday and, if necessary, for 15:30 on Sunday, at the Olympic Swimming Pool in Rio Maior, in the center of the country.
Portinado calls on its fans to "join efforts, in order to have in Rio Maior a good human framework to support our players".
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