“We travel all over the country, often by bus or train, sometimes by private plane”

Andorra is not big. The principality has just over 77 thousand inhabitants. Twenty thousand people live in the capital, Andorra la Vella. Just a little less than in Haaksbergen. However, it is difficult for us to imagine that HSC’21 travels by private plane through the Netherlands to attend competitions. It is possible at FC Andorra. It’s indicative of the footballing ambitions of the tiny microstate club, Hevel says. “Since I started playing football here, the club has been improving little by little. Gerard Pique has owned the club for almost three years. Since then, real progress has been made. Twelve new players have been signed. We travel all over the country, often by bus or train, sometimes by private plane.It is a football project that is becoming more and more structured.

For now, FC Andorra is thriving. The team is in the top three of the second group of the Primera División RFEF, Spain’s third tier. The selection is in the midst of a battle with Albacete Balompié and Villarreal CF B for promotion to Liga SmartBank, as the Segunda División is officially called. “The club have the ambition to reach the Segunda. They do everything for it. Because the authorities are more interested in rugby, they don’t always take football seriously. The council is happy to discuss this with the authorities. The project includes a new stadium. It won’t happen without approval, so we’re working hard on it.

“I was shocked during my first practice. Conditionally, it didn’t fit me well. Later I discovered that I was not the only one having this problem. It was of course due to the altitude,” says Hevel. Andorra is located in the middle of the Pyrenees at an average altitude of almost two thousand meters above sea level. Good for circulation, especially in the lungs. Last season, the team regularly had home advantage. “Clubs coming from the lower regions of Spain struggled with that. Especially in the second half.”

In the interview, Hevel further discusses how his Spanish background helps him in Andorra, hilarious scenes in the snow and getting caught in padel.

The full interview with Hector Hevel Serrano can be read in ELF Voetbal’s very thick Over De Grens Special, which was published last month. There are no less than 46 interviews with our compatriots in almost as many foreign competitions. Think of Virgil van Dijk, Crysencio Summerville and Joël Piroe in England, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, Mark Diemers and Thijmen Goppel in Germany and Xavi Simons and Branco van den Boomen in France. But also Wout Droste in Iceland, Shayne Pattynama in Norway, Nick Marsman in the United States, Danny Holla and Julius Bliek in Malta and Wouter Burger and Léon Bergsma in Switzerland. Also consider conversations with Dutch professionals in smaller countries. We spoke to the only Dutch professional from competitions in Estonia, Latvia, Singapore, Kosovo and Bangladesh.

ELF Voetbal’s extra-thick Over De Grens Special fell on subscribers’ doormats. And is available in well-known bookstores and non-food stores. Also, at well-known travel locations such as Schiphol, Eindhoven Airport and major NS train stations. Order online via this link it happened. Quick and easy. Within two to three working days at home. Taking out a subscription is quite convenient. Each edition automatically on the doormat. A subscription is quickly concluded via this link. Choose your own welcome gift! Good reading!