The Penya Barcelonista de Vidreres (Federació Gironès, Garrotxa i Pla de l’Estany) presented the Martí Vergés Award as part of the first edition of the Sports Night of Vidreres, held recently in this Catalan town. The award is named after the Vidreres-born player who was a member of the FC Barcelona first team between 1958 and 1966, and aims to recognise sportsmanship and fair play in all forms of sport, based precisely on the character of Martí Vergés. This is a player who was never sent off and who, according to some witnesses, always remembered that “when the referee has whistled, it is not worth getting angry or protesting”.
In accordance with the proposals made by all the sports entities for this first edition, this year the award has jumped from the pitch to the stands, and was given to two tireless followers of Vidreres sports: Jordi Ball-llosera and Francesc Xicola. These are two followers of the different Vidreres teams, especially the “Joves de Vidreres” futsal team, whose sporting spirit and constant encouragement of the teams is valued. The award was also intended to acknowledge their loyalty over the years, despite the ups and downs of regional sporting competitions.
Rooted in the territory
The Martí Vergés Award from the PB Vidreres consists of a symbolic recognition in the form of a trophy, but it also highlights the value of being rooted in the territory, in this case Vidreres, in the form of a cheque for purchases in the town’s establishments. In this way, the blaugrana supporters’ club is reinforcing the feeling of belonging in its territory and contributing to maintaining economic dynamism.
The Sports Night of Vidreres is an initiative of the City Council that aims to recognise the work done by the various local sports entities, whose efforts and values have even enabled them to achieve international European success, as is the case in figure skating and twirling. The Penya Barcelonista de Vidreres will give continuity to the Martí Vergés Award to give even more importance to local sport.
