"From our first time we knew that Partille Cup would be part of our history forever"

Partille Cup is a special tournament for CD Puertosol from Malaga.

CD Puertosol is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a club and this year they will participate in Partille Cup for the fourth time. The tournament is part of their celebration program.
– From our first time we knew that Partille Cup would be part of our history forever, says the leader Ildefonso Calvo Ortiz.

Their club is linked to the Puertosol School in Malaga.
– Our main objective is the education of the students and their abilities through sports. Handball is our sport reference. From this initial point we work on combining studies with competitions, and we're doing so with excellent results, says Ildefonso Calvo Ortiz.
Nowadays, they have 21 teams between 5-16 years old.
– Along our history we have won two national titles and several regional championships. Many of our players have been selected for the national teams and we're considered one of the best teens handball clubs in our region, he says.

You celebrate 50 years as a club. How will you celebrate the anniversary?
– We have a very active calendar this year for our school and club. For the handball club, we will have meetings of old players and coaches and competitions between them. In autumn we will celebrate a great festival with activities from morning to late night.
Our trip to Gothenburg will also be a special date in these celebrations and has been included in the official program of activities for our 50th anniversary.
You have been to Partille Cup a couple of times. What kind of experiences have you got so far?
– This will be our fourth Partille Cup. We have previously participated in 2015, 2019 and 2021. From our first time we knew that Partille Cup would be part of our history forever. This tournament has given us a lot of good memories, both sporting and personal experiences. We can highlight two of them such as the 50th anniversary party in Liseberg in 2019 and to represent Spain at the opening ceremony in 2021.

What do you like most about the tournament?
– Just everything. As a player: the exchange with the rest of the players in matches and schools. As a coach, you can give your players the possibility of competing with other countries and other ways of interpreting the game. As a fan: the great handball atmosphere that surrounds all points of the tournament; Heden, Kviberg, Scandinavium, the European Open Championship... As a club manager: the perfect organization that facilitates the monitoring of the tournament in all its phases, from registration to returning home after the big week. Also Gothenburg, it's a very welcoming city.
This year you will participate with five teams. What are your expectations and goals?
– We will try to win the maximum number of matches and go as far as possible in the A playoffs or try to win one of the B finals in any of the categories we play. Winning is not the most important thing for us. But it has to be amazing to win some year with any team... Why not this year? says Ildefonso Calvo Ortiz.