Unicaja Costa de Almería resumes its visit to the Virgen del Mar before the season
Topics Almería
The squad, the coaching staff and the board of the volleyball club went up to the Patron's dressing room on Friday, October 16, the eve of the league opener, to ask for her protection during the season.
The full Unicaja Costa de Almería squad, together with the coaching staff and the board of directors, visited the Santuario de la Virgen del Mar on Friday, October 16 in the afternoon, less than a day before the Superliga got underway. The club thus revives a custom it had stopped observing: entrusting itself to the Patron Saint of Almería before the start of the season.
A welcome with a volleyball past
The team was received by the Dominican priest Vicente Grau and by the Hermano Mayor of the Hermandad de la Virgen del Mar, Jorge Juan Fernández. According to the club, both have ties to volleyball: Grau holds a coaching qualification and worked as a coach while he was a teacher, and Fernández was a player for many years. Fernández conveyed to the players the city's support for the season that began the following day.
Father Tomás Cano also accompanied the party; he was vicar general of the Diocese and, according to the club, played a relevant role in the creation of the sports project. Cano is a trustee of the Fundación Unicaja and now carries out his pastoral work at the Iglesia de San José.
Flowers at the feet of the Patron Saint
After a group photo before the altar, the captains Juan Pablo Moreno and Álex Moya carried a floral arrangement that they placed at the feet of the Virgen, guided by the Hermano Mayor. The players and coaches went up to the camarín in turns and, on the way out, passed beneath the mantle. Several members of the party signed the sanctuary's visitors' book.
The club president, Pablo Martínez, assessed the visit: «Great satisfaction at reviving such a beautiful custom as this, our institution wanting to remain a source of unity and pride for the people of Almería». He added that it had «made the squad feel very good and understand that this city, through its most important symbol, embraces them».
The debut, the following day
The visit took place on the eve of the first match of the Superliga 2026/2027, which the Almería side played on Saturday, October 17 at the Moisés Ruiz against Grupo Herce Soria. The club marks 40 years this season, counted from last September 11, and the opening match launched the anniversary events.
