First round Schedules and matches
The Cup goes down to the mud A mourning heart, buses to Murcia and an island pending a village team
An oven as the cradle for one of the most austere clubs in the
Copa del Rey
.
Pulido Bakery
, the team from a small town in Gran Canaria, faces
Real Sociedad
this Wednesday
in another chapter of the poor against the powerful. A great showcase for a group raised in fields of mud. «The team was born in 1993. A group of friends agreed to promote football in a place where the majority opted for the Canarian fight. We contacted the Vega de San Mateo City Council to build a dirt field and buy all the material.
Our goal was for the kids to be interested in football, but also to keep them away from bad vibes, crime and drugs that existed at that time
.
Yes, in a way, we were pursuing social work, ”explains
Francisco Rodríguez Pulido
, creator and sponsor.
It all started with a contribution of
700,000 pesetas
.
In 28 years, the team has been promoted to Second RFEF (formerly Third Division) and has formed a solid network of quarry teams.
This 65-year-old partially retired businessman assures that he has been overwhelmed by the repercussions generated after the Copa match against Real Sociedad: “From the moment of the draw, this has been non-stop.
Many media have called us, even two televisions in Italy.
The publicity has been incredible.
We won the Christmas lottery in advance.
For the managers of Panadería Pulido, the first round of the Copa del Rey is a valuable extra.
For their participation in the tournament they could receive about 20,000 euros
. A figure that will serve to improve the facilities of a club located next to the home of the sponsor, which last summer was named honorary president. «I set aside funds for the creation of the team, but I have always been away from the spotlight, in the shadows. I never liked to appear ”, emphasizes the godfather.
Francisco will cry with emotion at the start of an amateur versus professional match.
There have been many years of battles to balance accounts with the contributions of an unambitious sponsor.
Pulido Bakery was created 98 years ago by Francisco Pulido
Panchito
and Dolores Domínguez
Lolita
.
They both kneaded bread in a small oven and distributed it among the residents of the town.
Almost a century later, this family business has become a business reference in
Vega de San Mateo, a town of 7,500 inhabitants located in the inland area of Gran Canaria
.
Pulido Bakery has six establishments (four in San Mateo, one in Las Palmas and another in Santa Brígida).
The production and sale of breads, buns, sweets and cakes provides employment for 126 workers.
286 players
This business was the sole sponsor for 15 years. Now, the club also has the contributions of other companies;
for this season he has approved an annual budget of 490,000 euros
, slightly more than what David Silva earns in a month. "Here we can only pay 500 euros a month to each of the 25 players in the first team, this is still a small help for some kids who are engaged in other activities outside of football," says
Armando Santana
, president of a club that last spring was promoted to Second RFEF.
Its workforce includes, among others, salespeople, engineers, employees of transportation companies, Journalism and Physical Education students.
«This club started doing social work and we continue with it, here we have kids of all categories, youngest, youngsters, youth ...
In total we have 286 players.
Among them there are 28 immigrant boys who live in reception centers, some of them have already begun to emerge
».
A modest club, a new winner with the Cup. “We have been growing and we already have teams in all categories.
Important people have come from here, like Pedro Vega, who came to play in Las Palmas.
He is our neighbor, he lives very close to the clubhouse.
Santana, like Francisco Rodríguez Pulido, insists that in recent days he has been overwhelmed by events: «
The club is run by 11 people, who work as managers, accountants, secretaries, members
.
We are like a family.
The field is made of artificial grass and has only 600 seats.
This Wednesday's game will be played at the UD Las Palmas stadium because here we don't have enough light energy for transmission or space to fit six television cameras ».
The manna from the Cup feeds the poor.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more
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First RFEF They break into the El Sardinero stadium at dawn with a vehicle and destroy part of the pitch
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