"Echeyde" starts its tenth season in the Spanish Water Polo League with new players and ambitions for European cups.

"Echeyde" is preparing for its tenth season! Imagine, the team from Tenerife has already played nine times in the top division of Spanish water polo. And that's already cool! Especially considering that clubs from Catalonia, which have significantly more money, usually dominate there. But "Echeyde" doesn't give up and continues its project.

The team will be coached by the same Albert Español, who has already written his name in the club's history. This will be his second season as head coach. The goal, as always, is to stay in the league.

The league doesn't allow for warming up; you have to show everything you're capable of right away. This Saturday, "Echeyde" will play against "Astralpool Sabadell," the league's vice-champions and regular participants in the Champions League. "We understand that this is a very strong team, at the Champions League level, and that it will be difficult for us," says Español. But he sees this match as a great opportunity to test what his players are capable of: "We have nothing to lose, so we'll just try to do our best and not worry."

"Echeyde" is not a one-day team. It is a project that has been built over the years. Almost ten years in the elite is already an indicator. And this is especially important if you look at the situation as a whole: "In Spain, only three teams not from Catalonia play in the top league, and we have been among them the longest," the coach reminds. And these are not just words, but a fact. The club in Santa Cruz has built its work on a smart approach, focusing on local players and stability, rather than instant results. And this has allowed them to play in the top league for the ninth year in a row. "Sometimes they forget how difficult it is to stay at this level year after year, given our resources and the fact that we are far from the center of water polo in Spain," says the coach of "Tenerife Echeyde." Unfortunately, one of the team's newcomers, Javier Gorría, will miss the first month due to a broken finger.

This season, the team's composition has changed slightly, especially when it comes to goalkeepers – they have been completely replaced. "The goalkeeper is a very important position, and we wanted to strengthen it," explains Español. The new main goalkeeper will be Croatian Davor Skokandić, who has experience playing at the international level for his country's youth teams. Along with him, the team will include Spaniards Héctor Martínez (from Valencia) and Dorian Acuña (from Catalonia, who also played for youth teams). In general, "Echeyde" focuses on quality, not quantity. Experienced players have joined the team, such as Javier Gorría, who played for the Spanish national team and played in Italy and France, and Tom de Weerd, a player for the Dutch national team and former captain of "Mataró." "Everyone who came has played for their national teams, and this speaks to their high quality and what we want to do to take a step forward," concludes Español. He also added two young players from the local team to the main squad: Enrique Ramírez and Omar García, who is only 16 years old.

The coach looks at things realistically, but at the same time does not lose ambition. "Our goal, as every year, is to stay in the league. With our capabilities, it would be unwise to think about anything else. But if we achieve this, then we have already proven that we can dream," he says. In recent years, these dreams have resulted in participation in the Copa del Rey and European competitions.

In November, the team from Tenerife will once again represent the Canary Islands in the European arena. This will be their fourth consecutive participation in European competitions, this time in the Conference Cup. They got a very difficult group in Greece with "Panionios," "Budva," and "White Sharks Hannover." "Competing in Europe is very difficult, the level is very high, and we got a very difficult group. But we are going with great enthusiasm. It is a great honor for us to represent Tenerife and the Canary Islands in Europe," admits Español. He believes that getting out of the group would be almost a feat, "an incredible success, because all four teams in our group have a real chance." Despite this, "Echeyde" promises to "fight in every match."

On the eve of their ninth season in the top division of Spanish water polo, the team led by David Rivas is starting the season with great hopes. The club is already firmly on its feet and can take its time. With new international players, local talents, and promising youth, "Santa Cruz Tenerife Echeyde" starts the 25/26 season with the goal of achieving everything in their power.