LaLiga pays tribute to Women's First Division champions

It's been less than a month since Athletic Club Women were crowned champions of the Women's First Division, as the Basque outfit clinched glory nine years on from their previous domestic triumph. Athletic ultimately prevailed to land the title in a fiercely contested campaign which was testament to the vitality and quality within the women's game. LaLiga - which remains unwavering in its support of the clubs and players affiliated to the Women's First Division - sought to add its weight to the recognition being paid to the champions by the Spanish sporting community by holding a ceremony which was presided over by Javier Tebas and attended by Athletic's honorary president, Jose Angel Iribar; team coach, Joseba Agirre; the head of women's football at LaLiga, Pedro Malabia; and a large number of the title-winning squad. 

The LaLiga president congratulated the players on their achievements, before underlining "LaLiga's commitment to the women's game." Tebas went on to offer his apologies to the Athletic players "for not having promoted this project at an earlier stage," whilst encouraging them to "help LaLiga's drive to take the women's game to the very top, because it's capable of making it and is deserving of it." The LaLiga chief called on the players to look forward to next term, declaring that "we hope that by the time you come back for next season, we'll have taken further steps towards the professionalisation of the women's game." Tebas then explained that "under LaLiga's plans, it's envisaged that with the help of our sponsors, we'll be in a position to provide clubs with the finances to improve the division, making it more attractive and appealing to the media." The president noted that "next season there'll be at least two games broadcast live on national television, plus the matches that'll go out on the autonomous community channels and other games that'll likely be shown on pay TV." Tebas closed his address by offering a reminder to the players that "this institution isn't just for clubs, it's also for you players to put forward your ideas and air your complaints."

Iribar, for his part, thanked LaLiga for the tribute and stressed that "you can win, lose or draw in football, but I'm sure that Athletic's competitive spirit will always be a winning one. Our example can show the way for many other clubs: by working resolutely and intelligently, you can go very far."

The squad, meanwhile, expressed their gratitude and delight with regard to the event put on in their honour: "Being here represents another step forward for women's football and we encourage you all to keep supporting our game," stated Iraia Iturregi. The Athletic captain also reflected on a previous visit to LaLiga HQ when Malabia sounded an ambitious note about making Spain's Women's First Division the best in Europe. "We thought he was crazy," joked Iturregi, before commenting that "it would seem like we're a long way behind other countries, but with a little investment you can achieve big things." "There's a lot of talent in Spain: we're sixth in the European ranking and now, with LaLiga's help, we can become the best league in Europe – and why not in the world?" added the midfielder. Meanwhile, Athletic coach Agirre echoed the aforementioned words of thanks, as well as congratulating his players: "They've achieved what they've achieved through the values that have been instilled in us from a young age. When we pull on the Athletic shirt, we know we have to work hard, with pride and a lot of heart," he remarked.

The proceedings concluded with the presentation of a commemorative plaque to the team, who did not depart before first making a vow: "We're going to visit you again next year."