Valencian Pilota returns to Altet de Sant Joan street in Ontinyent on August 19 with three galotxa matches, before the renovation of carrer de la Pilota begins.
The galotxa variant of Valencian pilota will be the highlight of the festive programme in Ontinyent during the Grand Week, with three matches taking place on Wednesday, August 19 at 18:00 on Altet de Sant Joan street, in the Poble Nou neighbourhood. The event is organised in collaboration with the Valencia Provincial Council, Caixa Ontinyent, and the participating clubs from Sella (Alicante), Ontinyent, and Montserrat.
The match will bring together top-level amateur players of Valencian pilota. The local Ontinyent team will include Raúl, Oscar Sambín, Toni Cisnet, and the historic Vidal as the feridor; Montserrat will feature Oscar Besó, Carlos Salmerón, Andreu Garcia, Javier Campos, and Rafa Añó; and the Alicante team from Sella will include Antonio Brotons, Marc Morant, Jesús Vidal, and Dani Pérez.
The Councillor for Sports, Ferran Gandia, highlighted the level of the teams and noted that these matches serve to “boost the sports offering during the Grand Week in a historic street of the Poble Nou neighbourhood.” The players will compete for the trophy of the Moors and Christians Festival in honour of Vicent Lluch, a pilotari who fought to bring pilota to the streets and promote it. Gandia emphasised the importance of “caring for a traditional sport of ours and bringing it, alongside its fans, to the streets of the city.” He also thanked the collaboration of the Mollà brothers from Ontinyent Rural in creating the poster.
José Vidal, a representative of the club, expressed gratitude for “the interest shown by entities towards the native Valencian sport in the city of Ontinyent.”
These matches will be the last held before the renovation of carrer de la Pilota, with work set to begin next September. The project has an execution period of 4 months and an investment of 193,000 euros, of which 150,000 euros come from a grant from the Valencia Provincial Council as part of the Trinquets Plan. The Councillor for Territory, Óscar Borrell, described this funding as “key” to making the intervention a reality “in a unique space in Ontinyent, with a significant historical and symbolic connection to Valencian pilota.”
Borrell recalled that in this street “matches have taken place continuously since the 1940s and it is part of the collective memory of several generations.” The councillor praised “the efforts of the first vice-president of the Provincial Council, Natàlia Enguix, who has always defended this project in Valencia, against those who even questioned the existence of this historic street.”
The renovation will not only improve the urban space but will also facilitate the practice of Valencian pilota. “What adds value to this action is that, in addition to all this, it will also facilitate the practice of Valencian pilota, eliminating unevenness and incorporating specific signage for the different modalities such as the long or galotxa. We will make urban improvement compatible with the preservation of this local sports tradition, which is undoubtedly very good news,” concluded Borrell.
The event on August 19 is an opportunity for the residents of Ontinyent to enjoy Valencian pilota in the street before the renovation works begin, which will last until early 2026.
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