BallinEurope’s Emmet Ryan is on site in Ferrol for this week’s Eurocup Women final between Baxi Ferrol and Villeneuve d’Ascq. Ahead of the game, where his main focus has obviously been on Claire Melia, he took in the town and what this occasion means to it.
This Saturday, in between the two legs of the FIBA Eurocup Women final, Ferrol is coming out to support Claire Melia and she, in turn, is embracing the city. Since her mother and grandmother passed away, Melia has held an annual event to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day. For obvious reasons, the Baxi Ferrol star won’t be in Ireland this weekend.
Instead, she’s bringing the campaign to this second home of hers. She will still raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society but now in Ferrol, a city that has embraced her. The event, as it happens, falls on her late mother’s birthday. The whole city is aware and is ready to show up. That speaks to the spirit of Ferrol.
Meet Raúl
Coming to this city, my focus was on Baxi Ferrol and Claire Melia. The Eurocup Women final is, after all, a huge deal. Through Raúl Villares Villar, I learned so much about the community and the spirit of basketball in the city. He walked me through the town, meeting Pablo Bueno, of of the famous Claires Gang and longtime fan of Racing Ferrol. Within a minute, we met Gerardo, another longtime personality within the football club.
In one of the oldest European stories possible, it was a Lithuanian who brought basketball to Ferrol. Mykolas Ruzgys, a EuroBasket champion in 1939, convinced the shipyard workers to play. From there, the great Bazan Ferrol team was born that competed for the old version of the Spanish championship.
When the modern Liga Endesa was born, the shipyard work of the players was deemed too important to play basketball full time. Instead, OAR Ferrol came on the scene. The club represented the city proudly. Then, in a tale as old as time in European basketball, they went out of business. Ferrol was the home of basketball in Galicia yet without a core to focus on.
Raúl Villares Villar told me about the extraordinary basketball history of Ferrol, as well as the city’s extraordinary history beyond the hardwood.
A city with great history
As Raúl walked me through the town, the importance of what Baxi Ferrol means to the city resonated with me. Claire Melia is helping raise the spirits of a city with a great history. Indeed, it makes sense that they defended so well against Asvel in A Malata a few weeks ago when you consider the context.
In 1800, the British navy was known for ruling the waves. They also had a really good win-loss record against Spain. That was until they came to Ferrol. The home advantage of the harbour served the locals well as they repelled the British advance convincingly.
It is also home to the wonderful architecture of Rodolfo Ucha, with his simple yet beautiful designs filling the streets in the heart of the town. It’s easy for a basketball journalist to think of the offensive mindset of Baxi Ferrol when looking at these structures.
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An easy place to like
Don’t just take my word for it, or that of the locals. Rachael Vanderwal spent a large chunk of her playing career in Ireland, before making the leap onto the continent. The 2012 Olympian with Team GB remembers her time playing with Baxi Ferrol fondly.
“Ferrol was a great place to play, I absolutely loved my time there. Small city, beautiful beaches, great Seafood and amazing people. Everyone, all the fans got behind the team and every game they packed the arena. It was so much fun to play,” she said.
Vanderwal also had kind words for Lino Lopez, the longtime coach and local boy who will be on the sideline on Wednesday night.
“Lino was one of the best coaches I have ever played for but also one of the best human beings. He really cares about his players and always has their backs no matter what. He instilled so much confidence in me and allowed me to play so freely,” she said.
“I had so much fun playing basketball under him. One of the most enjoyable seasons I had while playing professionally and probably my best personally.”
Vanderwal, originally from Canada, somewhat links the Irish-Canadian connection with Ferrol. Rachael is an honorary Irish woman but, before Claire Melia, one other player with an Irish passport played for the Eurocup Women finalists. Devon Ashleigh Campbell holds an Irish passport and once played for the Galician side.
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A city enraptured
It’s very easy to see why Claire Melia has fallen in love with this city. The community has come together for Baxi Ferrol. A stroll on Tuesday morning and one of the local fashion/gift shops had also converted into a Baxi Ferrol fan shop. The most popular item, of course, was the jersey they wear that pays tribute to OAR Ferrol.
As I went on a mini-pub crawl in the evening, I stopped into Rafa’s. The man himself said he was closed tomorrow, as he stood behind a bar bedecked with Baxi Ferrol colours. Alex, a superfan of the team, grabbed me for a photo and a chat. He, like so many here, hopes Claire Melia will stay in Ferrol for many seasons to come.
Alex told me that this team has put Ferrol on the map. It’s true. Their Eurocup Women adventure, truly Cinderella stuff, has become a story bigger than the city. Indeed, in Ireland, it’s bigger than basketball. People want to know about this place, where a woman from Monasterevin has a fan club, the Claires Gang, that wear red wigs. The fans at Copa de la Reina cheered for Baxi Ferrol even though they weren’t playing. Unless you’re from the north of France, a lovely part of the world in its own right, how could you not root for Baxi Ferrol?
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