L'Hockey Club de L'Hospitalet has called for increased support for its social and sports project, which has been on hold for the past year and a half. The club claims it is not receiving adequate financial assistance from the municipal government.
This initiative has been running since 2011 in collaboration with the Sports and Social Services departments of the local council, which have referred young people from vulnerable backgrounds to participate. Previously, the club organised a league involving teams from all districts of L'Hospitalet, engaging up to 300 young participants. However, the club has requested an annual grant of €10,000 from the council to continue its work but has yet to receive a response.
Toni Delàs, coordinator of L'Hockey Club, stated: “We have been inactive for a year and a half due to a financial issue that we believe is quite small, which we previously managed and provided opportunities for 300 young people.”
The club has only received support from the council in the form of a lease for the field at the Puig and Gairalt School in Pubilla Cases. As a result, they have decided to suspend the social project, and currently, only 25 young people are participating in sports activities.
The municipal group L'H En Comú Podem has expressed its support for the club. Manuel Domínguez, the group's spokesperson, met with Delàs and criticised the council for not supporting social initiatives in the Samontà area, urging for quicker processing of grants. “Everything is positive in these organisations. Why don’t they have the support they deserve?” Domínguez questioned, also urging the new Sports Councillor, Roberto González, to change his approach and establish a fair agreement for these entities.
According to the council, last year L'Hockey Club received a €5,000 grant from the Sports Department, and they are currently in the process of reviewing and evaluating grant applications from various organisations. They assured that once this process is complete, the club will receive the funding it is entitled to.
