With the promotion of CB Jairis de Alcantarilla to the highest national category, women’s basketball in the Region of Murcia has reached a very high dimension. I attest, because I have seen it live, that every weekend that the team plays at home, the arena is full. For the most part, the stands of Fausto Vicent are packed with girls and young people who, for the first time in history (because a Murcian team had never played in the elite before) see a team from their land competing with the best players in Europe and some of the best in the world. Beyond the sports results, it is vital for the growth of a society to have references and teach the generations that come from behind that they can be achieved. If you don’t see it up close, you never come to believe that it’s really possible.
Taking advantage of the fact that the world of the basket is in fashion and in the context of International Women’s Day, the Murcian Basketball Federation organized an interesting and necessary day at the Regional Library to promote and highlight the work that they have been doing for many years. . Because before the Hozono Global Jairis reached glory, there were pioneers who helped put both this sport and Murcia on the map. “We are women who have managed to do what we like the most and that is not easy”, was the most expressed message.
The event was divided into two round tables and was presented by the journalist Teresa García, from La 7 TV. Mari Cruz Gómez (Molina Basket coach and also a nurse at the Ministry of Health) participated in the first one, Susana Gómez (national and international referee for more than 25 years and since she retired five years ago is the vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the Spanish Basketball Federation) and Carmen Puigcerver (coach of men’s teams at UCAM Murcia that have competed nationally, coach in the Spanish Federation and teacher). The three revealed something that is a reality and that perhaps deserves to be studied a little: Why do women coaches find it difficult to stay linked to men’s basketball over time?
There is a glass ceiling
The truth is that if we look at the benches of the highest women’s category, of the 16 teams that are part of the competition, only three are coached by women. The explosion that this sport is experiencing in our country, achieving medals for Spain in all formative ages and with the absolute without getting off a podium practically since 2013, is not being reflected on the benches.
They train them. Of course, in the best national men’s league (considered also the best in Europe) all the 18 teams are led by men. There aren’t even women assistant coaches, the former professional player Anna Montañana was there a few seasons ago, but now she trains girls in Gernika. According to Carmen Puigcerver, the main key is that “no woman has yet arrived to lead the way in Spain and show that it is possible. It is evident that professional trainers trained for this exist, willingly, but we must continue waiting for them/us to be given the opportunity”. All the guests, each one in her plot, agreed that women in the world of sport have to prove, even today, doubly their worth to be hired. Triple, they say, than their peers. “We have to be optimistic and not stop trying to break the glass ceiling. It will be achieved”, said Susana Gómez.
These differences in opportunities affect future generations and not only in the world of sport, but also in the world of business or any profession. According to the latest study by Comisiones Obreras, in our country there is a gender wage gap that stands at 20.9%. The average annual employment salary for men is 27,322 euros, compared to 22,601 euros. “I have coached both boys and girls and it is something they keep in mind when they talk about their aspirations. They know that if they become professionals they could make a living from it and they tell you that they can earn a lot of money. On the other hand, they have another vision and those who dream of reaching the elite are also aware that they have to continue studying because in most cases (except for the big stars) their sports career will not allow them to live calmly afterwards, ”he pointed out. puigcerver.
This issue was moved to the second round table, in which Laura Fernández (player and coach), Sonia Ruiz (professional wheelchair player, has been in the Paralympics as the captain of the Spanish team and creator of the UCAM BSR team) participated. ), Rebeca Cotano and Marina Lizarazu, professional players of the Hozono Global Jairis. “Luckily, women’s basketball has evolved a lot in our Region, we had to leave to be able to dedicate ourselves to this. Also now the companies support more and that is essential to make it economically viable”, commented Sonia and Laura.
The conditions in which sports professionals work are not the same as those of men, far beyond the salaries they receive. “Our leagues and our contracts only last 8 months, the other 4 are not paid vacations. We have had to learn to manage ourselves, decide whether or not to collect unemployment for that time, set up a campus or play tournaments. No player in the highest category has to look for a life in summer because economically they are light years away. We hate being told that we have to be happy to dedicate ourselves to this, we even notice that on a non-normalized social level when they ask us what we work on and we say that we are professional players. They look at us thinking that if we don’t do something else, in addition to scoring baskets,” they said.
This day showed that, despite the fact that women’s basketball in the Region of Murcia is living its best period, there is still a lot to fight for to achieve equality. Hopefully in a few years I will write this text turning it around and saying that it has finally been achieved.
