His name is complicated. He doesn’t speak a word of Spanish, except “hello” or “goodbye”. However, Haralabos Voulgarisnew owner of CD Castellonmanaged to convey illusion and hope to Albinegra fans in his first public appearance as the club’s president and CEO. Montesinos gave him the baton with a symbolic embrace on the day when one of the emblems of the city of Castelló turned 100. The July 20, 2022 It is a date that will always be remembered as historic. A hundred candles are not blown out every day, nor is it every day that an investor arrives so eager to strengthen the professional structure of the club, to invest the money to give it back to professional football and to make CD Castellón what the city deserves. Without a doubt, the best signing of Vicente Montesinos during his five years as president.
Voulgaris defines himself as the “guardian” of Castellón, a term that defined his roadmap and his intentions. One of the reasons why Montesinos opted to apply to buy the club: “For me, the team belongs to the city and to the supporters. I’m just his keeper.”
He arrives with his Pitch32 work team
Bob, as the new president likes to be called colloquially, arrives in Castalia eager to work and with a work team made up of people from Pitch32. “My team consists of Dave (Dave Reddin)who has a long history with sports, not just football, just like Robin (Robin Taylor). Y Richard (Richard Bentley), which is a very good financier”.
20 07 2022 11:38
So far the press conference for the presentation of Haralabos Voulgaris as the new owner of CD Castellón. The act ends with the former president, Vicente Montesinos, presenting the centennial jersey to the Greek-Canadian.
20 07 2022 11:37
Haralabos Voulgaris: “One of the club role models I like is Tony Bloom’s at Brighton. I’m not saying we’ll do the same, but I like the way he works.”
20 07 2022 11:33
Haralabos Voulgaris: “I know that in First RFEF the income is not very high. I know it will cost time and money, but we have a plan and we will follow it to get where we want”.
20 07 2022 11:32
Haralabos Voulgaris: “I think Castellón can reach the First Division, but it will take a lot of work. I want it and I think it’s possible. And it would also mean a lot of money.”
20 07 2022 11:29
Haralabos Voulgaris: “My team is made up of Dave (Dave Reddin), who has a lot of history with sport, not just football, just like Robin (Robin Taylor). And Richard (Richard Bentley) is a very good financier . ”
20 07 2022 11:28
Haralabos Voulgaris: “I would like to speak with Mayor Amparo Marco in the future.”
20 07 2022 11:25
Haralabos Voulgaris: “I won’t be there every day, but I will be there for several days. I have known my team for more than a year and I will talk to them every day; I believe in them a lot and they will always be there. here. They are very good on their own and they will also work with the people who are already there because I have great respect for the work they have done”.
20 07 2022 11:22
Haralabos Voulgaris: “I like the passion they have here for their team; I saw a great opportunity. I had opportunities with other teams, but Vicente (Montesinos) did very well and I want work with him to keep improving”
20 07 2022 11:19
Haralabos Voulgaris: “We will provide the resources to build a competitive squad. We want the best possible for the club and the city.”
20 07 2022 11:16
Haralabos Voulgaris: “Castellón is going to be my main dedication. I spent five or six years more focused on football than on basketball. I like the model of the Spanish League”.
20 07 2022 11:15
Haralabos Voulgaris: “I want to learn from the work team that exists now and that they also learn from me.”
20 07 2022 11:11
Haralabos Voulgaris: “We are in a good moment, but we want to be higher. People will be able to see it when the team is on the pitch. The results are very important, but the work is even more so”.
20 07 2022 11:10
Haralabos Voulgaris: “I work hard and I want to make a very good team to take it to the next level. I will put all the strategic technology at the service of the club.”
20 07 2022 11:08
Haralabos Voulgaris: “We are looking at the structure of the club. We have to have a bit of patience. We know what we want to do. I have to be clear about what I want to do with the support of the team which is already there to be able to improve.”
20 07 2022 11:07
Haralabos Voulgaris: “For me, the team belongs to the city and to the supporters. We hope to continue to grow the club”.
20 07 2022 11:02
Vicente Montensinos: “I want to thank Bob (Haralabos Voulgaris), who will know what CD Castellón stands for. I wish him and his team the best as they move to the next level.”
20 07 2022 11:00
Vicente Montesinos: “It’s a historic press conference for many reasons. When I entered, we set ourselves a goal, to save the club from its disappearance when it was on the verge of disappearance. The trip was exciting, five incredible years for everyone, it has been an honor and a pleasure to represent the entity as president these five years with two promotions”.
And the question was forced, what does a Canadian do when buying a club in a Mediterranean city like Castelló? “Before deciding, we analyzed the environment of the club and its situation very well. I was struck by the passion of its fans, its history and the good management that the Montesinos team had carried out, despite the difficulties” , explained the Canadian businessman, who amassed a great fortune using advanced mathematics and statistics applied to the game, becoming an NBA betting legend “I will not be here every day, but I will be here for several days. I have known my team for over a year now and will speak to them daily. I have great faith in them and they will always be here. They are very good at what they do and they will also work with the people who are already here because I have great respect for the work they have done,” he said. I like the Spanish League model,” he added.
The Voulgaris plan
Bob Voulgaris made it clear he came with a plan and with the idea of starting it, but managing time consistently. “We still have time to form a good team and this responsibility will fall to the current technical structure of Castellón”, he approved. There will be no investment problems, but always from logical parameters.
The already high-ranking president of Albinegro will not live in Castellón but he has specified that he will have daily communication with the leaders who will be in charge of the entity and who accompanied him during the presentation ceremony in Castalia . Bob transmitted empathy and once again spread enthusiasm, the same with which Montesinos, Dealbert and Pablo Hernández arrived five years ago and which allowed loyal Albinegra fans to break records, reaching 12 700 subscribers in third. of his past in NBA with the Dallas Maverickss pointed out that something he likes about the Spanish football model is the sporting competition that privileges merit with a scale of categories, quite different from that of the American professional basketball league. “In the United States, sport is business and in Spain I perceived that it was passion, the one that I see distilled by supporters in black and white”, he explained.
His first project: the urgent construction of two football fields for training
Bob Voulgaris explained to Mediterráneo that one of its first actions will be the construction of two football pitches, the first stage of a Sports City. “It is essential and a priority to have facilities to work. Then we will continue to advance by other means, but it is urgent to build two pitches, “he said solemnly when asked by the Castelló newspaper, which on Tuesday advanced the takeover of the club by the businessman. Canadian of Greek descent.
He did not dodge any questions, he answered all questions with patience and a permanent smile and promised that in a year he would try to answer in Spanish. “Our plan is 5 to 10 years. We want to take it step by step. I think Castellón can reach the first division, but it will take a lot of work. I want and think it can be achieved. And it would also take a lot of money and time, but we have a plan and we are going to follow it,” he said. Bob announced his intention to meet with the main authorities of the capital and the province in the coming days.
The Brighton Model
His club model is in a very specific model of the Premier: “One of the club models that I like is the Tony Bloom and Brighton. I’m not saying we’ll do the same, but I like the way it works.”
Castellón has already started all its machines. The new president, always accompanied by Vicente Montesinos with whom he showed a good personal feeling, met the players in the locker room and spoke to them for the first time. He transmitted seriousness and confidence and asked for commitment in this new stage. And he also joked about the sweltering heat in Castelló, very different from the temperatures in his native Canada.
Doncic’s friend
And as a final anecdote, Bob denied any hint of a bad relationship with Mavericks star Luka Doncic. “On the contrary, we are united by a great friendship,” he concluded. The sun reappears on the horizon of CD Castellón and with more light than ever. PPO.