Tenerife Echeyde Achieves Historic European Double, Faces Rising Costs

Tenerife Echeyde is making history by sending both its men's and women's teams to the Conference Cup, Europe's third-biggest water polo competition. This is a huge achievement for the club, but it also comes with a significant cost.

Both teams are getting ready for their group stages, which will be played away from Tenerife in the coming weeks. This means the club's running costs will go up quite a bit.

The men's team will travel to Split, Croatia, for their Phase 2 games from February 20 to 22. They will play against Mornar from Croatia, Rapid from Romania, and De Zann from the Netherlands. Their main goal is to finish in the top two of their group to move forward in the tournament.

The women's team, nicknamed the Guayotas, will play their Phase 2 in Novi Sad, Serbia, from February 27 to March 1. They will compete against Vojvodina from Serbia, Chania from Greece, and Bochum from Germany. Just like the men, their aim is to be one of the top two teams in their group to continue in the Conference Cup.

David Rivas, Echeyde's president, said the club is very proud to have two teams in European competitions. He sees it as a great chance to showcase Tenerife across Europe. Rivas also pointed out that these trips mean much higher expenses, mainly for travel and places to stay. He highlighted the crucial support from "Tenerife awakens emotions," the Island Council's tourism brand, which has been vital during the four seasons the club has competed in Europe.

Before these important matches, both teams recently gathered at the Acidalio Lorenzo swimming pool for a special event. Coaches and players from the top division teams were there, along with President David Rivas, Manuel Gómez (CEO of IDECO), and Alicia Cebrián (Sports Councilor for Santa Cruz City Council).