© EuroFootball.com
The match of the Lithuanian national football team against Spain on Friday will be a celebration for one region of Spain. The game will take place in the football field of the autonomous region of Castile and León in the city of Salamanca, which has not seen such a high-level match in over 30 years.
Excitement for the upcoming match
Miguel Hernandez Rubio, the vice-president of the Castile and León Football Federation and president of the Province Federation of Salamanca, says that the region is proud to host the matches between the national teams of Lithuania and Spain, as well as the match between the Spanish U-21 team and the Croatians in Burgos.
"We are very proud of this, there is a great interest in our region. All tickets are sold out and even those who asked me had to be told that there are no more tickets available. In Burgos, where the Spanish youth team will play, tickets are also sold out," said M.H. Rubio.
In the Spanish press, it was stated that the match was decided to be held in Salamanca as a tribute to the world champion strategist Vicente del Bosque, who was born there. However, M.H. Rubio claims that it was more of a coincidence.
"Every region can apply to host the Spanish national team matches. We have had this goal for four years now. It just so happened that the national team coach is from our city, and the team became world champions," said the head of the Salamanca Federation.
The last official match of the Spanish national team in Salamanca was played in 1978. There were also friendly matches of the Spaniards in the city in 1988 and 2005.
Club - among the leaders of the second division
The region of Castile and León, which has a total population of about 2.5 million, is divided into nine provinces, including the province of Salamanca (about 350 thousand inhabitants) and the city (about 160 thousand).
The main club of this region is the UD "Salamanca". Founded in 1923, the club from the small town has spent twelve seasons in the highest league of Spain, the last time being in 1999. Currently, in the second division of Spanish football, "Salamanca" is in the top quarter. With only 150 thousand inhabitants, the secret of the city's success is in the successful football structure, efficient cooperation between clubs and government institutions, and a large number of players.
Football is very popular in the region
There are about 24 thousand registered players in the region of Castile and León (twice as many as in Lithuania) and 1500 coaches (in Lithuania - 635). In the province of Salamanca, there are 5 thousand players, 250 coaches, and 78 clubs with 12-14 teams of various ages.
The province has one higher-category stadium - "Helmantico" - but there are about 80 football fields for playing. Children start playing football at the age of six, and later they receive training from professional coaches in club-managed football schools, of which there are three in Salamanca.
When asked about the budgets of the regional and provincial federations, Salamanca football leader M.H. Rubio was not specific: "In Spain, funds are allocated for football in the city as a whole, then the distribution of funds depends on the government and the city. Millions are allocated, but it is difficult to say exactly. Part of the budget consists of funds allocated by the government, while others are collected from sponsors."
