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Rayo Vallecano
Modern football is becoming more and more a sport of the riches. If you don't have the money, you won't be able to compete. The small neighbourhood clubs are more or less endagnered and clubs are more concerned about selling shirts and increasing their popularity in foreign countries then actually carrying about their own fans. But now and then you might be able to catch a glimmer of hope. In Germany there's FC St Pauli fighting a battle against facism aswell as homophobia. Using their position as a respected football club to actually make a difference.
In Spain that club is Rayo Vallecano. A left-wing club with a passionate fanbase in the outskirts of Madrid, in the Vallecas neighbourhood. Since winning promotion during the 2010-11 season Rayo Vallecano has been able to make an impression both on the pitch and off it. In March 2012 the squad was given a day off to join demonstrations regarding the political state in Spain. The people was fed up with how the country was run and wanted to make their voices heard and the Rayo players joined in.
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Unfortunately in recent years Rayo has been demanded to follow in the footsteps of modern football by expanding their brand in Asia aswell as in North America. The Rayo president Raúl Martin Presa bought the american club Oklahoma City and renamed it Rayo OKC and gave it a logo similar to the one of the spanish club.
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But throughout all this Rayo Vallecano and their faithful fans stayed true to their believes. In 2014 an 85 year old widow named Carmen Martinez Ayudo was about to be evicted from her home. A place in which she had lived for the past 50 years. The reason? She used her apartment as an guarantee on a loan that her son had taken and he wasn't able to pay it back. The story reached Rayo Vallecano and manager Paco Jémez and they weren't slow to act. They found Carmen another apartment and offered themselves to pay the rent. As if this wasn't enough the club started a foundation to help similar people in need. During Rayos following home-match their supporters held up a banner that read:
"The evictions of a sick state, the solidarity of a working-class neighbourhood."
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When presenting the new kits for the upcoming 2015-16 season, Rayo Vallecano decided to do something different. Something that could serve to help others. The first kit is, as always, white and with the River Plate-inspired red stripe across the chest. But it's their second and third kit that stands out. Their second kit is inspired by the pink ribbon to raise awareness about breast cancer. Whilst their third kit, the rainbow kit, is supporting the LGBT-commuity. But thats not all, each different colour in the rainbow represents something:
Red for people fighting cancer
Orange for people fighting for rights of disabled people
Yellow for people refusing to lose hope (mental illness)
Green for environmental campaigns
Blue for people working against child abuse
Pink for victims of domestic and gender violence
"The rainbow flag is going to fight against homophobia. We will wear it proudly. You can also see a series of ribbons each representing a cause." - President Raul Martin Presa.
Their constant fight against racism is another cause that the Rayo-fans does with a passion. The late Laurie Cunningham is an ex-Rayo Vallecano player and a front-name in the Rayo-fans campaign to fight racism. Needless to say: Rayo Vallecano is no ordinary club. And their faithful fans deserve some success...
View attachment 154690
Rayo Vallecano
Modern football is becoming more and more a sport of the riches. If you don't have the money, you won't be able to compete. The small neighbourhood clubs are more or less endagnered and clubs are more concerned about selling shirts and increasing their popularity in foreign countries then actually carrying about their own fans. But now and then you might be able to catch a glimmer of hope. In Germany there's FC St Pauli fighting a battle against facism aswell as homophobia. Using their position as a respected football club to actually make a difference.
In Spain that club is Rayo Vallecano. A left-wing club with a passionate fanbase in the outskirts of Madrid, in the Vallecas neighbourhood. Since winning promotion during the 2010-11 season Rayo Vallecano has been able to make an impression both on the pitch and off it. In March 2012 the squad was given a day off to join demonstrations regarding the political state in Spain. The people was fed up with how the country was run and wanted to make their voices heard and the Rayo players joined in.
Unfortunately in recent years Rayo has been demanded to follow in the footsteps of modern football by expanding their brand in Asia aswell as in North America. The Rayo president Raúl Martin Presa bought the american club Oklahoma City and renamed it Rayo OKC and gave it a logo similar to the one of the spanish club.
But throughout all this Rayo Vallecano and their faithful fans stayed true to their believes. In 2014 an 85 year old widow named Carmen Martinez Ayudo was about to be evicted from her home. A place in which she had lived for the past 50 years. The reason? She used her apartment as an guarantee on a loan that her son had taken and he wasn't able to pay it back. The story reached Rayo Vallecano and manager Paco Jémez and they weren't slow to act. They found Carmen another apartment and offered themselves to pay the rent. As if this wasn't enough the club started a foundation to help similar people in need. During Rayos following home-match their supporters held up a banner that read:
Because thats what Rayo Vallecano is. A working-class club that cares of their own and with supporters who stands for solidarity and equality amongst eachother. Protests and banners with different political motives is common at the Estadio Vallecas and during matches you can hear the Rayo-faithful jumping and singing:
"Whoever doesn't bounce is a fascist."
When presenting the new kits for the upcoming 2015-16 season, Rayo Vallecano decided to do something different. Something that could serve to help others. The first kit is, as always, white and with the River Plate-inspired red stripe across the chest. But it's their second and third kit that stands out. Their second kit is inspired by the pink ribbon to raise awareness about breast cancer. Whilst their third kit, the rainbow kit, is supporting the LGBT-commuity. But thats not all, each different colour in the rainbow represents something:
Red for people fighting cancer
Orange for people fighting for rights of disabled people
Yellow for people refusing to lose hope (mental illness)
Green for environmental campaigns
Blue for people working against child abuse
Pink for victims of domestic and gender violence
"The rainbow flag is going to fight against homophobia. We will wear it proudly. You can also see a series of ribbons each representing a cause." - President Raul Martin Presa.
Their constant fight against racism is another cause that the Rayo-fans does with a passion. The late Laurie Cunningham is an ex-Rayo Vallecano player and a front-name in the Rayo-fans campaign to fight racism. Needless to say: Rayo Vallecano is no ordinary club. And their faithful fans deserve some success...
