The president of the green-and-white basketball section, Fernando Moral, the mayor of Seville, Antonio Muñoz, and the territorial director of CaixaBank in Western Andalusia and Extremadura, María Jesús Catala, among other personalities and collaborating entities, visited one of the first courts set up in public spaces in the city as part of this social integration programme
Coosur Real Betis, through the Aro Foundation and the Real Betis Balompié Foundation, the Seville City Council and the La Caixa Foundation, as well as other associations and collaborating entities, have launched this afternoon in the Polígono Norte one of the first public spaces in the city for the ‘solidarity baskets’ project, A social initiative that aims, through the practice of basketball, to promote inclusion and create spaces for meeting and coexistence in neighborhoods in need of social transformation.
In addition to this new court, located on Fernández Ardavín Street, another court has also been set up in the Tres Barrios area, in the Ronda del Tamarquillo, and others are planned in public spaces of His Eminence and Padre Pio.
These first ‘solidarity baskets’ were born from the joint initiative of Coosur Real Betis, through the Aro Foundation and the Real Betis Balompié Foundation, the Seville City Council and the La Caixa Foundation.
The Club proposed this initiative to the Seville City Council, which has set up different areas in the city for the execution of this social project together with CaixaBank.
In addition, the project has had the collaboration of the architect Daniel Espada, the painter Gerga and the company Graphenstone, a Sevillian company that manufactures ecological coatings and healthy and natural materials.
This initiative, also linked to Real Betis’ platform ‘Forever Green’, is totally focused on sustainable construction, with excellent benefits for the environment and health.
Fernando Moral, president of Coosur Real Betis, expressed his satisfaction with the execution of a project that is clearly committed to basketball as a vehicle for integration, in a much more sustainable way, while thanking all parties for their involvement.
“We have been working on this idea for some time, which is already a reality. We want Seville to breathe basketball and we are going to continue reinforcing public spaces to turn them into courts for the practice of our sport. We are impressed with the warm reception that this court has had, which is already a meeting point for the youngest. Our work goes far beyond playing a basketball game every week. We are a club committed to and for its city and its province. We want to grow hand in hand with the citizens. But our commitment goes beyond that. We want to leave a better world for future generations and through the ‘Forever Green’ program we are on the side of sustainability by using ecological paints without chemical components. Different associations in the neighbourhood (Manos Abiertas, Federación Liberación and Rutas de Sevilla) have collaborated in painting this square, so the result is the result of teamwork. I would also like to thank the Seville City Council, the La Caixa Foundation, Graphenstone and all those who have contributed to this initiative with their interest and commitment. Sevilla is and wants basketball,” said the green-and-white leader.
For his part, Antonio Muñoz, mayor of Seville, described the ‘solidarity baskets’ project as “an example to transfer to other areas of Seville”.
“Occupying a public space so that people can play sports, in this case basketball in such an attractive way, and also in economically depressed areas or neighborhoods is an example of solidarity and promoting sport. We have to thank CaixaBank and Real Betis for agreeing to execute it. Sport and culture are two levers for changing society and can make an extraordinary contribution to people living better. Sport is health. Sport is integration. Welcome. With this occupation we are alleviating some of the deficits that some neighborhoods of the city have. The idea is to repeat it in five more neighborhoods, always in peripheral neighborhoods, to promote sports and a healthier way of life,” he said.
Finally, Patricio Flores, commercial director of Graphenstone, was “delighted” to be able to collaborate in a social project of this magnitude and which, in addition, is committed to sustainability.
“Graphenstone is a company that is very much in tune with the values of the Real Betis ‘Forever Green’ platform. We are very happy to be able to collaborate in a social and solidarity project that promotes the feeling of community in the neighborhoods, since it is the people who live in them who have helped to paint these ‘solidarity baskets’. Social inclusion is promoted through sports and for this a material that respects the environment is used,” he said.
