Great weekend for Levante UD and CD Leganés fans with the "Viajes con Encuentro" project
The fans of CD Leganés and Levante UD enjoyed a great weekend thanks to the LaLiga and Aficiones Unidas "Viajes con Encuentro" (Travel with Encounter) project. LaLiga's sports tourism project, in collaboration with Aficiones Unidas, brought together the Levante UD Supporters' Delegation and the CD Leganés Supporters' Federation in the first edition of the 2023/2024 season.
More than 100 LaLiga fans participated in the planned activities and enjoyed a weekend of football, tourism, culture, gastronomy, and camaraderie. Thanks to the involvement of the clubs and the City Council of Valencia, through its Tourism and Sports department, the Valencian Government through the Autonomous Secretariat of Tourism and its L'Exquisit Mediterrani gastronomic tourism network, attendees could savor typical Valencian dishes at the base of the Ciutat de València, with the collaboration of Levante UD sponsors Amstel, Coca-Cola, and Vicente Gandía, in addition to the company José Manuel Pardo, which gifted oranges to all participants.
Pablo Sánchez, president of Levante UD, stated, "I find this initiative by LaLiga and Aficiones Unidas very appropriate because promoting sports tourism is essential to showcase football and everything this sport involves. It's true that every weekend thousands of people travel from one place to another to follow their team, and this becomes the perfect excuse to discover other parts of Spain. On the other hand, the fact that the fans of two teams are able to show respect, and even affection, is a very good example of what our football is and what we want it to be."
Jeff Luhnow, president of CD Leganés, mentioned, "From CD Leganés, we are very happy that these encounters between fanbases can take place. My congratulations to the supporters' federations and LaLiga for carrying them out. We are very proud of our fans who, in good and bad times, support the team no matter what, as was evident yesterday when hundreds of fans, despite logistical and weather difficulties, were supporting the team at Ciutat de Valencia."
Rocío Gil, Councilor for Sports of the City of Valencia, assures that "sports are an important driver of the economy, as shown by this combination of sports and tourism." She also expresses gratitude for "LaLiga's commitment to our city for this first Fans' Encounter, as well as thanking the collaboration of all the institutions involved and highlighting the important social component of initiatives like this Fans' Encounter that allows both fanbases to enjoy our city together and share their passion for sports throughout the weekend."
Cristina Morena, the Autonomous Secretary of Tourism for the Valencian Community, said, "Once again, the twinning between football fans and clubs promotes national tourism with LaLiga as the link, and in this way, the first edition of 'Viajes de Encuentro' of the 2023/2024 season was celebrated with the match between Levante UD and CD Leganés. Likewise, LaLiga continues to work with Aficiones Unidas to celebrate 5 more editions."