Paco Rubio, builder of the sports city of Oviedo: “I would like to start the works as soon as the season is over”

by time news

There are two versions by Paco Rubio (Soria, 1956). The soccer player and the business. And although he tries to separate them, in both facets he moves with passion, but with a marked pragmatic sense. As president of Numancia, he reached heights never seen in Soria. As an entrepreneur, he has undertaken important challenges in sports facilities. Rubio is the key figure in the future sports city of Oviedo that will be built in Latores. He is the owner of the land and, in addition, the builder who will be in charge of the project. He is cautious in terms of administrative procedures, but he maintains in this talk with LA NUEVA ESPAÑA the optimism that very long terms will not be involved.

–Who called you for the first time to talk about the sports city?

–The first contact is through a person I trust in Asturias. They suggest that the sports city could fit into those areas and we study it.

-When it was?

–The first contacts were before Christmas, but we have been working on the idea for a year and a half.

– When did you get involved?

–First people have to work responsibly, I arrive in the final stretch, with the fringes. But there was already a long way traveled by our teams.

–Since when do you have those lands?

–The first parcel, for four years. And other smaller ones, for a year and a half.

What is Herce doing?

–We are an industrial group that has a minor real estate activity, it only weighs 15%. We are, above all, in water purification, sports facilities, schools, hospitals…

They have experience in sports cities.

–22 years ago we built the Los Pajaritos stadium and 10 years ago we focused more thoroughly. From there, we have done some thirty sports works: Los Pajaritos, the remodeling of El Plantío, the one in Anduva… Now we are with a macro-project in Cuenca: six soccer fields, a hotel, a sports center, seven paddle tennis courts, an aquatic area… The investment will be around 25 million euros.

– How was the meeting with Martínez in El Reconquista?

–Intense (laughs). In Latin America there is a different culture, everything goes faster there, we go slower. Martín (Peláez) is a great manager and Jesús (Martínez) is a man of his word.

–Did Martínez make many requests?

–It is a gale and things are clear. He talked to me about how he wanted the press room to be and I told him, “but the grass hasn’t been planted yet” (laughs).

–What formula do you negotiate for the sale?

–There are several alternatives, we are not closed to anything.

–What script are you working on?

–There are some guidelines, but the important thing is not to stick to a single plan, but to consider alternatives. And we have an important experience. For example, the orientation of the fields. It is important that in the afternoon, when the sun goes down, it does not dazzle the goalkeepers. There are some football aspects that may clash with architectural criteria.

Will there be a residence?

–What Oviedo wants from now on are the fields. What a football team needs first of all are the pitches. In Soria, the residence was at the end. The main thing is optimal facilities for training. Simply put, what everyone wants is a mat.

–In El Requexón there are usually problems with humidity and flooding.

I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it. Here it will be the opposite. The great advantage of these lands is their geographical orientation and location, at the height of the Oviedo water tanks. With all due respect, Latores has nothing to do with El Requexón.

–How many fields would fit?

-Enter enter seven. But they have to say where they want to cut.

–Pachuca is always committed to sustainability. Match?

-Completely! In the sports city of Numancia, 68% of the water used is recovered. It saves a lot of money. The same measure could be applied in Oviedo. Jesús also spoke of an organic garden, like the one he has in León. It is also doable. He would depend on the design, but today we would be incompetent if we did not guide him towards sustainability. In addition, the administration rewards these types of approaches.

And what about the accesses?

–There will be a significant flow of vehicle traffic, and we have planned it. A comfortable access is one of the essential elements in this project.

–In the best possible scenario, when could the first machine go to work?

-In the event that the papers sail quickly, I would like it when the season ends, in June or July. But not everything depends on us. The date would be good for us because if it rains this type of work suffers a lot. You advance more in fifteen days of summer than in winter.

–What do the residents of Latores say?

–I have no direct relationship, but from what they tell me they are excited. Better to have a green garden with soccer fields next door than seven houses. What I would like to emphasize is that this was already ordered. It is not a new performance.

-Urbanistically, what is it now?

–First, define how things are going to be done. We will negotiate time commitments with the administration. If it could start tomorrow, in four months I have the fields done. But well done, huh? But first there are administrative procedures.

Will the partial urban planning plan have to be modified?

-No. You have to reorient the zoning, but it’s not a big change.

–For Paco Rubio, a soccer man, how important is a sports city in a club?

It’s something basic. When we started looking at sports cities here, England and Germany already had a few years ahead of us. And there is also the culture of the quarry school. And for that you have to have your own facilities. Once in Soria I said that I enjoyed a Saturday at the sports city more than a Sunday at the stadium. I saw the kids play, the parents watching the games, that atmosphere of real football, of passion… It’s a beautiful environment.

–Describe the sports city in five years.

–First, I would like it to be with Oviedo in First Division. And what I would love is to see the parents eating a sandwich in the sports city while they watch the kids’ games. Let it look like a good atmosphere. In Oviedo there is already an identity with the team, it has surprised me: there is a culture of belonging that is not seen in many other cities.

You may also like

Leave a Comment