Oliva Nova starts the winter season with the confirmation of about ten clubs until early April. International football and rugby teams have chosen the fields of the resort to prepare their winter stages. Because of the suspension of the competition during the cold winter months in their home-countries, Oliva Nova has become one of the favourite destinations in the Valencian region for the European elite teams for several decades.
This year, the first to arrive to the facilities have been the French club FC Strasbourg and the Dutch club Jöng PSV. They have been training in our four FIFA-size natural grass fields with the possibility of playing friendly matches. In 2017, Oliva Nova hosted a total of 57 teams, which means about 2.300 visitors in low-seasons directly related to professional stages.
A positive effect in the promotion of the area.
“A strategy to go beyond seasonal tourism based on professional sport, which also has a positive effect in promoting tourism to the area thanks to the visibility of the area the foreign media give when transmitting the pre-season training of their clubs”, affirms Luis Borho, general manager in Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort. International teams like Viktoria Plzen, Ferencvaros, KAA Gent, Sturm Graz, Willem II, Mumbai City, national teams like Levante UD and Getafe CF, female national teams such as Spain and Switzerland, amongst other, came to train in Oliva Nova last year.
Apart from the “beautiful game”, professional rugby teams from Europe have also noticed about the big possibilities offered by Oliva Nova, being motivated by the increasing popularity of this sport in Spain. An example of it are the French team ASM Clermont Auvergne Rugby playing in premier division and the British Salford Red Devils and Hull KR, who trained last year in the facilities. The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) also trained in Oliva Nova before their participation in the 2018 NatWest 6 Nations Championship.
Oliva Nova Sports Center
Coaches and trainers choose Oliva Nova for their pre-season stages not only because of good weather but also because of the top-quality of the sport facilities and the accommodation options. Oliva Nova Sports Center has four FIFA-size natural grass fields and four changing rooms, stands for over 800 fans and a high-performance gym next to the fields. The gym by the field, equipped with Sportesse and Ivanko machines, was thought specifically for sport disciplines and it is only to be used by professional athletes so that they can perform a high-quality training to get the best results.
More than 400 teams in a decade
More than 400 teams of the international elite have been in Oliva Nova during the last decade, among which Bayern München, FC Dynamo Kyiv, Borussia Dortmund, FC Steaua București, the young promises of the Aspire Academy or the national teams of Canada or Mauritania are to be pointed out. There are also professional cycling teams which also have Oliva Nova in their list of favourite places to prepare their season or for meetings. The Ettixx Quick Step, AG2R or Mitchelton-Scott have been the last teams hosted in Oliva Nova, which has also been the headquarters for one of the stages of La Vuelta a España 2017.
In this vein of promoting sport as the motor for tourism in winter, sport events are also very present during the first three months of 2018. Apart from the friendly matches between European teams, the international show-jumping competition, Mediterranean Equestrian Tours is gathering the best riders of the world during 10 competition weeks.
The first teams to train in our fields have been the French club RC Strasbourg and the Dutch club Jöng PSV.
Other teams confirmed in 2018 are:
• 28/02: FC Chur 97 (Suiza)
• 28/02: FC Laufen (Suiza)
• 03/03: FC Oetwil Geroldswil (Suiza)
• 07/03: FC Steinach (Suiza)
• 20/03: Vejby IF (Suecia)
• 21/03: Shamrock FC (Suiza)
• 08/03: FC Wagen (Alemania)
• 10/03: FC Schötz II (Suiza)
• 24/03: ASM Clermont (rugby Francia)
• 31/03: FC Schwaz – Weiss Basel (Suiza)
• 05/04: Eksjö (Suecia)
