Making connections a Fifa World Cup

On the Ball: Ander Batarrita in the Waikato Stadium during his time as guest services coordinator for football’s Women’s World Cup.Picture supplied

Ander Batarrita found himself at a loose end when a knee injury sidelined him early in the football season, but the Women’s World Cup tournament provided him with a once-in-a-lifetime experience off the field. He spoke to John Gillies about his role in coordinating the movements of some of football’s movers and shakers.

The moment Ander Batarrita went down on the artificial surface at the Arena Turf in Palmerston North on April 29, he knew it was bad.

As leftback in Gisborne Thistle’s Central Federation League team, he was playing with the enthusiasm of someone less than half his age. He had turned 45 that month but was still commanding a regular place in the side, thanks to his composed, astute performances in defence.

But you can’t argue with a Grade 2 tear of the medial cruciate ligament. Now, after 14 weeks of rest and rehabilitation, he is back. He trained this week and hopes to play for one of the Thistle teams today.

Those months of inactivity were hard to take, though.

“I was quite ‘down’ mentally, and thinking ‘what am I going to do this winter?’,” Ander said.

He had been in touch with the organisers of the Women’s World Cup to see if he could help in any way, and it turned out he could.

He was made the guest services coordinator and for three weeks was based in Hamilton, where he stayed with relatives.

He coordinated the movements of VIPs such as FIFA president Gianni Infantino and ambassadors of participating countries between airports, hotels and stadiums, “making sure they had a good experience from the moment they arrived to when they left”.

Ander also had to coordinate transport to and from private planes.

“The behind-the-scenes organisation was huge,” he said.

“We had to know the movements of the guests — who were arriving, who were going to which games — and we had to make sure they had everything they required.”

He is going to the semifinal at Eden Park on Tuesday. No doubt if called upon, he will put his shoulder to the wheel at short notice.

Ander had some experience in coordinating services for VIPs at big events. One year he had a role in looking after guests from Rhythm & Vines sponsors.

He also completed online a masters degree in sports sponsorship through the Johan Cruyff Institute, which operates out of Amsterdam and Barcelona.

“I did it online in 2020 when the pandemic hit,” he said.

“I love to keep busy.”

Ander Batarrita was born in Bilbao, the elder of two sons of parents (now retired) who owned a women’s fashion business.

Bilbao is in the north of Spain, about a hundred kilometres from the border with France.

He started playing football at the age of seven with Arenas de Getxo, known as “The Historic” in Spanish football. The club won the Copa del Rey — the Spanish equivalent of the FA Cup — in 1919, when they beat FC Barcelona 5-2 in the final. These days they play in the third tier of Spanish football.

Ander was signed by Athletic Bilbao when he was 12 and played in their youth system. Athletic sign only players from the Basque Country in northern Spain.

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao are the only foundation teams never to have been relegated from La Liga, the premier Spanish football league.

Athletic have been Copa del Rey winners 23 times and in the 94-year history of La Liga, they have won the title eight times.

After two years in the Athletic youth system, Ander returned to Arena de Getxo and played in their under-16 team.

He then came under the spell of padel, a racket sport of Mexican origin, typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court. It is popular in Spain and has experienced rapid growth in the Middle East and Africa, and established a presence in the United States, Asia and northern Europe.

Ander cracked the top 10 in the Basque Country and the top 150 in the world, and the sport took up much of his leisure time until he was in his early 30s.

He was not idle on the academic front, either. He achieved a Bachelor of Business Administration degree through the University of Hertfordshire and then worked for a marketing research company in London from 2002 to 2004.

And it was in London that he met his wife-to-be, Amanda Clarke, daughter of Gisborne couple John and Andrea.

Ander and Amanda then spent three years in Marbella on the Costa del Sol in the south of Spain. Ander picked up padel again and worked in real estate; Amanda went to an academy and became fluent in Spanish . . . good enough for her to work in the offices of a law firm.

They married, and moved to Bilbao to be closer to Ander’s family. They had a daughter, Adrianna, there in 2008, and a son, Johnny, in 2010. For Johnny’s birth they came to Gisborne to be with Amanda’s family.

In December 2013 they moved to New Zealand long term.

“We went to Auckland and I started working for Seat Renew Ltd, a company that restores plastic seats from stadiums,” Ander said.

He was working in international business development, focusing on Europe, the US and Mexico, but he didn’t enjoy Auckland.

“We came to New Zealand to get a better lifestyle but Auckland is like a big city in Europe, even worse with the traffic and the distances you have to travel.”

So after a year in Auckland, they moved to Gisborne in early 2015.

“I started to play football again,” Ander said.

“I’d played in a seven-a-side league with ex-professional players and mates, but I didn’t pick up the 11-a-side game again until I started with Thistle in 2015.”

On the work front, he continued with Seat Renew Ltd for a while and then got a job as account manager with Media Works. Two years ago, he joined The Gisborne Herald as sales and creative manager.

His return to 11-a-side football at the age of 37 meant he had the enthusiasm of a youngster just starting out. Now back from injury, he is enjoying the banter of the changing room, putting his boots on and getting out on the grass.

“It brings back the memories of when I was young . . . the smell of liniment and the camaraderie of the team.

“I played in the last year of Team Gisborne. We won the Pacific Premiership. Locally, with Thistle, we won the Bailey Cup and the Eastern League. I’m hoping to get back into action this weekend. I can’t wait. I love it.”

ends