“WE HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US”
The re-elected president of the RFGA has important challenges in his mandate, among them to reduce the high level of delinquency suffered by the entity.
After a turbulent electoral process that has taken two years to be settled and in which there has been no shortage of legal actions by the candidates in contention, finally the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation (RFGA) has a president: Angel de la Riva.
The former head of the Eastern Andalusian Golf Federation (constituted in 1968 with only four courses), the germ of the FGA, born in 1979 and which he chaired on numerous occasions, has made a profound renewal in its board of directors and resumes his responsibilities at the head of the entity with a lot of desire to work.
The truth is that he will need it to recover the good image of the institution he presides and to try to alleviate the economic situation of the RFGA, very delicate due to the delinquency of a few golf courses and clubs. This will be the last time that De la Riva, 74 years old and who likes to be called “El Quijote del Golf”, will be at the head of the RFGA, as he assures that he will not run again in the next election for the presidency.
-How many years will the present term last: two or four?
-On paper, two, since the rule of the Junta de Andalucía says that the elections are every four years coinciding with the Summer Olympic Games, but I suppose that whoever makes the law thinks that the elections are going to be normal and that you are going to be without presidency from the first of April until the first of August of that Olympic year. Now, when you are there from the first of April until two years later, I believe that there is grounds to ask the Sports Secretariat that the presidency lasts four years because we have a plan of action for that time. I would like the Secretariat to consider this situation, but I have my doubts. Just in case, if they do not extend it, I have a project to try to complete it in two years.
-What hurts you the most in these two long years of a rough and tumble electoral process?
-What hurts me the most is that damage has been done to the Federation. I believe that the good image of the institution will recover. Of course, if the new statutes are approved, it will recover. What has happened is that the management committee has been tied hand and foot, and there have been people who have wanted to harm the Federation.
For my part, I have peace of conscience because I have acted at all times with rectitude and good faith. There are many people who love this Federation very much, but I do not accept that there is anyone who loves it more than me, because I became the first president last century of a Federation that was born with four fields and now has 99 federated fields.
-What is the current economic situation of the RFGA?
-It is bad, especially because of the high level of delinquency. In addition, income has dropped because there are fewer members and also because the subsidies from the Andalusian Regional Government have fallen to zero, and they were giving us 25,000 euros.
The clubs’ debt to the Federation has risen from 100,000 euros, when elections were held two years ago, to 600,000 euros. The number of licenses has decreased from 51,000 to 43,000, and so far this year alone has been reduced by 3,000.
Thus, we have a hard work ahead of us to try to clean up the accounts and avoid such a high level of delinquency. This will be one of our main objectives for the present mandate. To this end, we will make personalized viability plans so that the fields and clubs can pay off their debts.
What is clear is that the philosophy has changed completely: impressive savings must be achieved because the situation requires it.
We have to try to obtain what they call atypical income, for example through a club of sponsors, we have to sell the old headquarters and we also have to make an effort to attract more fields and make them see the advantages of belonging to the Federation.
-What are these advantages?
-There are many benefits for golf courses that are federated. For example, they can process any type of competition for the purpose of raising and lowering handicap (non-federated can not do it), they can use the competition management program offered free of charge by the RFGA; benefit from the insurance policy that covers accidents of the temporary license; use the slope system as it is the property of the USGA with exclusive use for courses federated by license granted to the EGA; hold official competitions of the RFEG and RFGA; inclusion of the course in the official calendars of the RFEG and RFGA, guides, portals and attendance at specialized fairs… In addition to these and other advantages, the RFGA, through negotiations carried out by its Commercial Golf Courses Committee with official entities (Andalusian Regional Government, Tax Agency, etc.), has obtained important benefits for the courses, such as the application of special taxes, agricultural fuel for use on golf courses, etc.
-What are the chances of a VAT reduction for golf courses?
-We have already had meetings on the matter with the Secretary of State for Finance and they have given us hope, although we have to be cautious and realistic because we are aware that they will not lower it if they do not lower that of other sectors first. In the Ministry they understand our request, but politically it is problematic because, if they lower the VAT on golf, the gentlemen of cinema, culture, etc., are going to say why not to them.
“We are aware that they will not lower VAT on golf if they don’t lower VAT in other sectors first.”
-Why are provincial delegates appointed in this legislature?
-To be able to have elections in each province in the next electoral call. Before we had them in all the provinces and when we asked for permission to the Junta de Andalucía we were told that we could do it, as long as there was no one who contested it, because it was mandatory to have provincial delegates.
What do you think of the exploits that the Malaga-born Miguel Ángel Jiménez has been performing lately?
-Now he is going to receive the Gold Medal of the Province and I think that everything that is given to him is not enough because, apart from being a great friend of mine, he is an exemplary sportsman. It is a pride for Malaga, Andalusia and Spain to have Miguel Angel. We are going to request, to see if it is possible during his lifetime, because we Spaniards pay tribute to the dead, to give Miguel Ángel a street. It has been given to Antonio Banderas, to poets, to people of culture, and I think it would be good to do it with a great sports figure. On the other hand, I am going to propose you, as president of the RFGA, to be part of the committee of advisors of the Federation, which will meet once a year or on any occasion when a matter of importance so requires.
NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The main functions of the Board of Directors are, among others, the preparation of the sports calendar, the preparation of budgets and the proposal for the approval and modification of the RFGA’s internal regulations.
Among the novelties for the current term of office is the appointment of Miguel Navarro Álvarez as Secretary General and Manager of the organization.
Javier Ibáñez de Aldecoa Silvela, Antonio Vergara Pérez and Ángel Gutiérrez López will occupy the positions of First, Second and Third Vice-Chairmen, respectively.
The economic area has also undergone changes, with the incorporation of Carlos Ramón de Fata González as Treasurer.
As regards the Technical Committees, Antonio Fuentes García (Pitch & Putt Committee), Diego Molina Peso (Rules Committee) and Eugenio Alises Ripoll (Course and Handicap Committee) are the same as in the previous term.
Likewise, María Salvador Escribano (Children and Youth Committee), Luis Mansilla García (Men’s Committee), Luis Navarro Álvarez (Course Commercial and Promotion Committee), Luis Martínez Galán (Adapted Golf Committee) and Pablo Mansilla García (Professionals Committee and Sports Director) are incorporated as Presidents.
Candelaria Flores Montilla, who in recent years has headed the Adapted Golf Committee, will head the Women’s Committee.
The Institutional Relations, Press and Protocol Committee is created, which will be coordinated by Salvador F. Pérez Mérida.
For his part, Francisco Cervilla Rodríguez will chair the Seniors Committee for the first time, together with the Foreigners Committee.
The other members of the Board of Directors are Fernando Pacheco Lavado (Environment), Manuel Martín Lara (Clubs Sin Campo), María José Fernández Márquez and Emilio Lustau Ortiz Latierro.
As in previous years, José Agustín Gómez-Raggio Carrera repeats as Legal Counsel. Provincial Delegates
Finally, another of the great novelties for this new stage is the creation of the provincial delegates, being appointed María José Fernández Márquez (Almería), Humberto Ybarra Coello de Portugal (Cádiz), Milagros Luque Escribano (Córdoba), Daniel Cabello Sánchez (Granada), Joaquín Rodríguez Rovira (Huelva), Antonio Sánchez-Roselly Rodríguez (Jaén), Candelaria Flores Montilla (Seville) and Ignacio Javier Iturbe Escolano (Malaga), who will also act as Assistant to the President.
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