New website, new Club Athletic, new projects

The Athletic Club Foundation, in its effort to faithfully represent and disseminate Athletic’s values through the organization of activities and the development of projects in favor of a better society, has experienced a remarkable growth over the last year in its four work areas: social, cultural, sports and environmental. This last area is newly created and, as it is related to sustainability and ecology, it is strategic for the Foundation in the future.

This continued growth has gone hand in hand with greater visibility of all the work carried out by the Foundation, thanks, among other causes, to the creation of its own website, which was launched in September and serves both to showcase the Foundation’s current activities and to display the developed projects.

Juan Carlos Ercoreca, as the new president of the Athletic Club Foundation, and Jon Vázquez Eguskiza, the new general director, have led this process of improvement and growth that has characterised the year 2019. The red-and-white legend, Andoni Goikoetxea, has joined as an ambassador for the Foundation.

More direct and indirect users

The considerable increase in the number of direct users (tripling their number to almost 6,000) and indirect users (almost 75,000 people who benefit from being relatives of the direct users) of the Foundation has been motivated by the creation of new projects and the consolidation of existing ones.

Among the new projects, it is worth mentioning Goiztiri, Fútbol Parálisis Cerebral, Bizkaia Koopera: Villagol and Athletic Villa, Fútbol Pasillo, Gizakia, Walking Football and Batas Athletic, as well as the AC 100% Sostenible project, Zero Plastiko Urdaibai and Compensación CO2.

Equally important is the growth in already consolidated projects, such as the Fundación Athletic Club Genuine team (which revalidated its Fair Play title) or Futbola Buruan, a collaboration with the Osakidetza Mental Health Network (RSM) which has doubled its number of users. More information about all these projects of the Foundation can be obtained here.

Thinking Football and Letras y Fútbol

The seventh edition of the Thinking Football Film Festival was held during the month of March with great public success, thus consolidating its position as one of the most prestigious film and football festivals in the world. The film directed by brothers Michael and Jeff Zimbalist, Nossa Chape, won the Audience Award.

The 10th edition of Letras y Fútbol served once again to connect culture and football and brought together in San Mamés prominent guests including Jorge Valdano, Benjamín Prado, José Roberto Torero and Ferrán Soriano, among others. Athletic Club Foundation also published the books “Togo“, written by Óscar de Marcos, and “Bizitza eskukadaka“, by Ainhoa Tirapu, a pioneering initiative that was received with great acceptance by critics and the public.

New Club Athletic

Finally, it is worth mentioning that in December the new Club Athletic was launched, the community that brings together the Foundation’s supporters. Through an annual donation of 50 Euros, the members of Club Athletic, the true hearth of the Foundation, help to develop the work in favour of a better society. As a sign of gratitude, the Foundation offers a series of exclusive benefits for its supporters and, with the new Club Athletic, it gives away welcome boxes with different original and personalised gifts according to age.