BarcelonaThree years after the disappearance of UB Barça, the Blaugrana club will once again have representation in the Endesa Women’s Basketball League. Barça CBS, which will make its debut in the top competition against Innova-TSN Leganés, will keep alive the flame of a women’s team whose origins date back to 1929. An article published in the magazine Stadium of that year reminded the men of the time that those pioneer women did not look for a pretext to flirt in the sport of basketry and that they could move around the court freely.
“It will be a tough season, but we are very excited to be able to play in the Liga Endesa. It is the reward for the work of a long time and of many people. We will need time to adapt and we want to be a recognizable team. We will see where it takes us the day to day and the competition. The big goal is to establish the team in the Women’s League. We are all eager and very excited to test ourselves against the best”, analyzes Isaac Fernández, coach of a seasoned Barça team to overcome setbacks throughout its history, such as when it had to stop its activity during the Civil War.
Barça’s record includes two championships in Catalonia; one as an official (1937) and one as an officer (1942). One of the most legendary players in the section was Encarna Hernández, who between 1944 and 1953 led the Blaugrana project until she decided to retire to become a mother. Times had changed a lot when Joan Laporta fulfilled his electoral promise of 2003 and reached an agreement with the University of Barcelona to recover a cultural project that disappeared again in 2007.
Barça again had a women’s team in 2011, when it reached a link agreement with CB Santfeliuenc. After years of growth, last March they achieved promotion to the top competition. Núria Martínez, who left the courts to become the sports director, is down to earth. “I would like to opt for many things, but we have to be realistic and in the first year we have to opt for permanence. Barça must stabilize in the Endesa Women’s League, gain solidity and grow little by little,” he analysed. The club has drawn up a three-year plan in which the objective of the first two seasons is to consolidate the team and in the third to take a step to raise the competitive level. The team will continue to play at the Joan Carles Navarro pavilion in Sant Feliu de Llobregat.
The season will be very special for Ainhoa López, who has overcome Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. “First of all, I want to thank Isaac, my teammates, Barça CBS and everyone for being by my side during these very complicated months. My wish is to return all this energy to the courts”, he explains. The player, who is the daughter of Loly Rodríguez, one of the pioneers of Barça football, is clear about the road map to follow: “The project must take a step forward, as has happened with football”, she says .
Barça CBS has continued the project that won promotion last season. The club has renewed eight players. “I’ve been lucky enough to play in the Women’s League with other teams, but to do it with Barça being a team player and having experienced promotion is very exciting and special”, admits Itziar Llobet. “Three years ago I came with the idea of being able to help return Barça to the category in which it deserves to be and I am very happy to have achieved it and excited about the opportunity to continue giving continuity to the project in the League Femenina Endesa,” says Marta Canella, the other captain of the Blaugrana team.
Anna Cruz, a legend
One of the big bets is that of Anna Cruz, who at the age of 35 returns to the club where she made some of her first steps. The escort made his debut, when he was still a junior, with UB Barça in 2002. Cruz was part of the teams that won the Leagues in 2003 and 2005.
The Catalan, who comes from Casademont Zaragoza, has an extensive career both in European leagues and in the WNBA. Cruz competed in the American League with the New York Liberty (2014) and the Minnesota Lynx (2015-2016), with which she won a WNBA championship ring in 2015. With Dynamo Kursk, she ‘escorta was crowned champion of the Women’s Euroleague in 2017. Cruz has played 158 matches as an international with the Spanish national team and has won three European gold medals (2013, 2017, 2019), a silver medal at the Olympics (2016) and a world runner-up (2014).
