Madrid-born coach Carlos Cortijo approaches his new role as Pons Lleida manager with "immense enthusiasm," marking the beginning of a new era for the roller hockey club. Cortijo, who previously coached in the Spanish national youth categories, Rivas, and Noia, has signed a three-season deal.
During his official presentation, Cortijo emphasized his commitment to daily hard work and refrained from setting specific sporting goals before thoroughly assessing the squad. "I'm not one to set targets before we start. We will focus on day-to-day work and build a competitive team to win. Time will tell how far we can go," stated the new coach, who also highlighted the importance of adapting to the players' characteristics to define the team's on-court identity.
Cortijo expressed confidence in the team's potential, asserting, "We have good players and excellent raw material." He noted the club's "historic" status as a winner of the Copa CERS and vowed, "No one will be able to say we haven't worked our hardest."
Pons Lleida president, Enric Duch, described the appointment as the start of "a new cycle" and "another stage, with different systems and a different way of understanding hockey," conveying excitement and "high expectations" for the future.
Cortijo will be supported by David Carrasco as assistant coach, David Ballestero as physical trainer (who will also play for the club after a 13-year absence), and Marc Bonilla as physiotherapist. The club is also pursuing two more signings, one of whom could be promising young Barça player Àlex Ortigosa. Pre-season training will commence in late August, with the Lliga Catalana as the initial objective.
