Steve Nash says we’re up to the task of fighting for survival as he reflected on his time as a member of our board.
The NBA Hall of Famer has overseen the side progress from the third division to La Liga in the space of four years alongside an executive made up of owner Robert Sarver, president Andy Kohlberg and former footballer Graeme Le Saux, and believes the opportunity to be part of such an historical club was too good to turn down.
“Mallorca, I think, was the third opportunity that we looked at in Spain and we really liked what we saw,” he said in an interview with La Liga. “We thought it was a fantastic place with a huge history. We thought there was a winner to be built there. They had won before, they had won the Copa Del Rey in fairly recent times and they had been a stalwart in La Liga, a Champions League team at one stage, so we thought this was a tremendous story to become a part of.
“The players getting an opportunity now to play against the top players in the world and in some of the most historic stadiums in the world. That’s where we want to be and that’s where we want to build our club from. We realise having the lowest budget in the league that we’re going to be fighting all the way to the end to survive and stay in the division. There’s incredible motivation to do so, not only from the players for their careers, but for the club and our ability to grow.
The first side in Spanish football history to get relegated to Segunda B and then return to La Liga via consecutive promotions, Nash says it has been an unbelievable journey throughout the experience.
“I think when we went from third to second, we weren’t saying we’ve got to get up to the first now.,” he added. “We were thinking: ‘okay, we’re back in the second. We’re back in Segunda. Let’s continue to build our culture, let’s continue to build our academy, let’s solidify, let’s stay in the division, let’s not just go back down’.
“By the end of the year, when it actually became a reality that we were going to play-off to play in a La Liga, it was incredible. I get goosebumps just thinking about how exciting it was and how proud we were of the club.“
