Water polo in Santa Cruz: scandal over training schedule and allegations of unfairness.

A scandal has erupted at the Acidalio Lorenzo pool in Santa Cruz, where six sports clubs train. The water polo club Unión Waterpolo Tenerife has publicly stated that they were offended by the new training schedule approved by the city council. They claim they have been treated unfairly compared to other teams.

Unión's president, Eridu Alcalá, is surprised: they have about a hundred athletes, but their pool time has been reduced and they have been given the worst schedule. "We have children born in 2014 who finish training at half past ten at night! Of course, parents don't like it, they want their children to rest," Alcalá complains.

Although there is no final decision yet and Unión hopes for changes, Eridu says that the damage has already been done. "September is an important month for recruiting children. How can I invite them to water polo if we don't have normal training times?" Unión cannot develop and fears losing athletes.

This is a big blow for this young club (founded in 2018), as they are currently on the rise. Their men's team has reached the Second National League, and the women's team won silver in the Canary League. "But the schedule for this season is worse than last season," says Alcalá. Currently, Unión can only train in the pool on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. On Fridays, when they need to prepare for matches, they have no space at all.

Eridu emphasizes that they have no problems with either the city council or other clubs. "We understand that it's difficult. Sometimes we even share one lane. We have a good relationship with the city council. We don't want to quarrel, but simply defend the rights of young people. I myself used to be a professional athlete, but now it is important that children have the opportunity to play sports," he concludes.

The city council explained that they take into account not only the number of athletes and the level of the teams, but also "the seniority of each club in the city." They say that Unión Waterpolo appeared at municipal facilities recently, in 2021, unlike other clubs "with a long history," such as Tenerife Echeyde. But the city council acknowledges that Unión is developing rapidly.

They also emphasize that they are trying to help Unión Waterpolo. "Since 2021, they have been given places in various pools, including Añaza, and the opportunity to train in Acidalio Lorenzo, despite the fact that it is always crowded there. In addition, the club receives financial assistance from the city and uses the pools maintained by the city council free of charge."

Although five clubs train at Acidalio Lorenzo, Unión Waterpolo is most often compared to Tenerife Echeyde, another water polo club. Echeyde's president, David Rivas, has not yet complained publicly, but admits that they are also dissatisfied.

"We will do what the city council decides," says Rivas, but adds that his club does not agree with the new schedule. "We have had our time and space reduced in every category, but we did not agree with the previous schedule either. Or the one before that. Or the one before that," he says ironically.

Rivas believes that "the problem cannot be solved," at least not now. "The only solution is to remove clubs from the pool or build a new one, which is unrealistic. The criteria must be objective and more specific," he states, adding that Echeyde "has nothing to do with the distribution."