The club, based in the Llanada Alavesa region of Vitoria-Gasteiz, understands this result as the consequence of over a decade of continuous work, primarily focused on its youth academy.
Coach Pedro Biart summarizes it unequivocally: "We deserved this for a long time. This group has been prepared for years to make this leap," he assures with a satisfied smile after a demanding season.
The promotion came after a nearly flawless season. Lautada finished the league tied on points with the champion, Leioa WP ‘B’, in a very close contest decided by tie-breaking criteria. The Vitoria team secured seventeen victories, two draws, and only one defeat.
“"This team stopped being a promise a long time ago. It was a matter of continuing to insist and not breaking up the group; there are lads who have given up and sacrificed many things, this sport demands total commitment"
Club president, Monika Fernández, emphasizes that the promotion holds a value that goes far beyond the sporting aspect. She explains that the board's work has been silent and constant, focused on club management and organizational support, but acknowledges the moment experienced. "Seeing the senior team in the First Division is an enormous pride for the entire club," she states emotionally.
The promotion cannot be understood without the prior journey. Lautada had previously competed in the top category years ago, but generational changes forced a reconstruction of the project from the grassroots. Biart, who arrived in 2012, was clear from the start: "If you don't train from below, the club disappears. The youth academy is the only guarantee of the future".
The group celebrating the promotion today started in the junior categories and has grown together to consolidate as a senior block. "They have been growing together for years, and it shows in the water," explains the coach, with a slight smile as he looks at the path traveled.
The coach insists that there wasn't a single moment of change, but rather a constant evolution: "This team stopped being a promise a long time ago. It was a matter of continuing to insist and not breaking up the group".
Behind the success lies a daily effort that is not always visible. Demanding training sessions and total involvement that also affect families. Biart states it directly: "There are lads who have given up and sacrificed many things. This sport demands total commitment".
From the board of directors, Álvaro Gutiérrez highlights that the challenge is not only sporting but also about visibility. "The problem isn't that people don't like water polo, it's that many people don't even know it exists in Vitoria," he points out.
Therefore, the club has strengthened its camps and social media activity in recent years with the aim of bringing this sport closer to new players and families. President Fernández adds that the promotion could mark a before and after for the club. Competing in the First Division will help make the project more visible and reinforce the youth academy. "If we achieve stability, we can prevent players from having to go elsewhere to continue growing," she explains nostalgically.
“"If we achieve stability, we can prevent players from having to go elsewhere to continue growing. Some are playing in the National league, in Valencia, in Uruguay, in very high categories, but they grew up here from childhood"
The coexistence between generations has also been key. In the same team, juniors aged 16 play alongside seniors aged 25 or more, something that has become a strength. "Here, no one is more important than anyone else. That mix has made us stronger, and even the youngest are the core of the team," confirms coach Biart with a laugh.
The real challenge for Lautada begins now: to stop being a promoted team and establish themselves in the First Basque Division. Biart clearly summarizes that ambition: "Now it's not about climbing up again, but about settling in. We want to be a stable team in the category".
Fernández insists that success is collective and reminds those who have supported the project during the most difficult years. "This achievement belongs to all the people who have passed through the club and helped us be here today," she recalls with gratitude.
Alavese water polo thus returns to the First Division of the Basque League with a project that is explained not only by the result, but by patience, the youth academy, and the continuity of an entire club. A promotion that Lautada interprets as confirmation that silent work can also be rewarded.
This success has also left a special impact in the locker room, where satisfaction for what has been achieved mixes with the feeling of having closed a very long cycle. Pride emanates from the group, but also a certain disbelief at everything experienced in recent years. "In the end, all this is the reward for not giving up," summarizes the coach.
Now, the focus is already on the immediate future, with the challenge of adapting to a more demanding category without losing the identity that has brought the team this far. The club assumes it will be a year of learning, but also of growth. "The next challenge is to stabilize ourselves in the First Division," confesses Biart. An objective that Lautada understands as the beginning of a new stage, not the end of the road.
