Carlos Villagrán, coach of Viveros Herol BM. Nava:

“In the club, from a very young age, they always, always, taught me that the limits will be set by others, not us”. Carlos Villagrán speaks from conviction and a way of living handball closely linked to Viveros Herol BM. Nava. Believing in this very personal late motiv works for him. The new coach of the Nava team is preparing to play against BM Caserío Ciudad Real (Saturday 7/3, 4:30 pm) his fifth game from the front line of the technical staff after chaining two victories and a draw in his first four matches in the NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL League.

The last one, in Artaleku, just a week ago, twelve years after also adding the two points on the IRUDEK Bidasoa Irun court, in this case with the rank of player, closing a small circle before facing the decisive stretch of the 25/26 season. “We knew the difficulty of the match. We spent the whole week working to reach limits of effort and sacrifice that would be worth that moment and the rest of the season. And the step the team took was huge. The maturity it had throughout the match was terrible. The joy was immense, for what it means to win on a court like this and for the value of the two points”, he says, focusing on the context and the ASOBAL seal.

“When I go to Artaleku and the rest of the courts, I think I hope we always see each other, because that will mean that we continue to be part of this NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL League. I feel privileged. I have gone as a player, as an assistant coach and now as the first. I give thanks because I maintain the illusion of that first day I stepped on Artaleku”, he adds.

The equality of the NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL League

Villagrán feels the Viveros Herol BM. Nava and the competition, enjoying it, naturally carrying the responsibility and pressure of his new position. “For some strange reason, I feel very comfortable. This ASOBAL is incredible. I think we have been having all the teams involved in all the disputes for 3 or 4 years, if not from above, with the European positions, it is from below. That Nava, in a season in which it is in a complicated position, is capable of winning against Logroño, second in the standings, who had come from chaining 10 victories, of going to Artaleku and winning… But it's not just us, there are other teams that are capable of accomplishing these feats. That's the beauty of the league”, he insists, in an exercise of perspective that goes from the dispute of this next round 20, the imminent, to the medium term of the growth and expansion project that the professional competition is developing.

“I think we have to look optimistically at Spanish professional handball, at the opportunities we are generating, at young players and coaches, like me, who perhaps had not imagined coaching an ASOBAL bench. We have to enjoy a league that is becoming more competitive. Players from other competitions who want to come here. We are moving forward, slowly but surely, setting serious, firm and clear foundations. The ASOBAL League is really cool”, he says.

Being part of the elite

The coach is already a leading part of the NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL League, which champions equality and maximum competitiveness, marked by alternatives and the law of details as a differential element. “I think I value it more than I externalize it. That Nava de la Asunción is in the elite, in the NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL League, is a consequence of many things, of a lot of effort from many people. I have many memories of all these years, I hold on to them and it makes me live everything with great intensity, knowing where we are. Going to the ASOBAL courts is incredible, but having all those teams come to our home is a celebration. Knowing the joy we cause when we win is what makes me continue like this. Above all, and I always say it, I am a neighbor of Nava and I want this bond between the team and our people to last as long as possible, because there are many people who enjoy it. Being part of this, even if only for a little while, is an honor”, explains Villagrán, working to write more pages of this story.

His first goal is to give continuity to the sporting moment of Viveros Herol BM. Nava to ensure permanence. “We want to stay in ASOBAL. The technical staff and the squad have a strong conviction that we will continue in the NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL League next season because we have the resources. Next season, the club will celebrate its 50th anniversary. For us, it is very important that the team is in the elite and to celebrate it like this next year, with an ambitious project. That we are capable of consolidating and continue looking up”, the coach concludes.