FESTIVAL
WELCOME WORDS

Dear Rugby Veterans,

As European Veteran Rugby Association President, I am very glad to welcome all the participants and their accompanists to the II European Veterans Festival in Esztergom.

Especially I would like to welcome the veterans from Bulgaria, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Ukraine that are taking part for the first time ever at one European Veteran Rugby Festival.

Three years ago we started this project; we made it with the aim that EVRA become the reference organization for those who had grown up along rugby. In my opinion, this goal has been fully achieved, not in vain, nowadays there are many clubs and teams that have joined our project, participating in and organizing European Series.

Fruit of everyone’s labour and with great doses of adventure, sacrifice and professionalism by the organization committee; in 2011 we celebrated the I European Veterans Festival in Cascais (Portugal).

Now we are truly sure that Esztergom will be a worthy host, since we know all the good work that the organization committee has done all along, and the enthusiasm and excitement from everyone willing this important event be pleasantly recorded in every participant and accompanists’ memories.

I wanted to thank all the sports and political authorities, both local and national, for all the support in order to carry out this event. I, also, wanted to show my appreciation to our sponsors, which made possible this Festival with their priceless collaboration. But, above all, I want to mention all the people who are part of the organization. Some of them being in directive positions, and many others doing all sorts of tasks with altruism, all of them chasing the same target, the success of the II European Veterans Festival Esztergom 2013.

As I said before, we are sure about Festival’s success because good work always pays off.

I invite you to enjoy the Festival, the city and all the things the organization committee has prepared for us all. For those who love this noble sport, as I do, the rugby isn’t just wear shorts and jump to the pitch to play; it is a way of life. And that way of seeing things thanks to rugby is what making us different, and I personally think, better persons. Nowadays, good people must be protected due to their scarcity; luckily our sport is full of them.

Honour and strength
 
Tomás Espinosa

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