Delano Franco celebrates NBB title and comments on Olympic Sports projects
Vice-President was present in Franca at Game 5 of the NBB 11 finals
By Mariana Sa - in
Back on top, Flamengo beat Franca 81-72 last Saturday (8) and became the sixth champion of the New Basketball Brazil 11. With historic support from the Red-Black Nation at the Pedrocão Sports Center, the Most Beloved in the World crowned the great work done this season, passing from the technical committee to the players and the board responsible for the red-black Olympic Sports. Happy and fulfilled for coordinating the great achievement of the Gávea team, the Vice-President of the department, Delano Franco, spoke to the official website about the title and the future projects of the modalities.
"It's wonderful to experience this moment. In my last conversation with the players before the game, I mentioned that I come from the financial market, where people care a lot about numbers and metrics. My friends ask me where the motivation comes from to take on a volunteer role like Vice President of Olympic Sports. I told the players this and that I was sure that if these people were there with us, they would understand everything. This magic only exists at Flamengo; you carry it with you for life. The moment the fans come in, the final minutes of the game. This will stay with me forever; money can't buy it. Overall, it's a great pleasure to have worked towards an achievement like this. For me, it's incredible," said Delano.
Return to the top of national basketball and support from the Nation
"It was historic, as we were trailing 2-1 and managed to win at Maracanãzinho to tie the score. Then we faced a special challenge: winning at Pedrocão in front of a fierce crowd like theirs. I think this victory began to take shape first with the massive crowd attendance, something epic. We managed to mobilize buses and bring fans from several states. This was an effort that involved several vice presidents, such as Marketing, Finance, Embassies and Consulates, as well as, of course, many from the Olympic Sports, such as Marcelo Vido (director) and Diego Jeleilate (basketball manager). When I was on the court and the fans started coming in, it was hair-raising. They came in singing, showing the players they were at home. This made an extraordinary difference in the victory."
"A second aspect was our decision to take some of the pressure off the players, which was very high. Despite all their experience, we felt we were overwhelmed. So every locker room conversation we had was that reaching the final was in line with the club's plan. At that moment, it was for them, for the nation, for history. We wanted to take the institutional pressure off and relax them a bit."
Projects with marketing
"We currently have a dedicated marketing area dedicated to Olympic sports. With this area, we'll be able to secure more sponsorships, whether for incentivized or direct projects, so we can continue moving in the right direction. We also want to accelerate the growth of Anjo da Guarda, which has enormous potential. We're talking to potential partners in the financial market about becoming Anjo fundraisers, for example. This program creates a stronger connection between fans and Olympic sports, in addition to obviously being a source of funding."
Volleyball project
"Volleyball's goal now is to form a good team for the Superliga A, with investment commensurate with the responsibility that characterizes us today. This year's goal isn't like basketball's, which is to be the favorite, but rather an intermediate step toward the following season, when we aim to have accumulated more experience in the competition, as well as larger sponsorships, so that we can enter as one of the favorites." There's no point in taking a step too far if the party doesn't last long. There are several examples of this in the past, at various clubs, that clearly demonstrate what shouldn't be done.
Olympic Sports
"Today, for example, we have a rising position in aquatic sports (swimming, artistic swimming, and polo), with important hires. In artistic gymnastics, we had the departure of Luisa Parente, who was important to the category and has moved on to a new professional challenge. So we have the task of finding a suitable replacement for the group. We are also hiring a manager dedicated to judo."
"For basketball, we're working on new signings that fit the team's spirit, possibly including names with less experience but with technical excellence and the 'Flamengo touch,' so they can complement our star players. All this to build a legacy with the future in mind when this team retires. We also have a franchise project for the schools we really like. We'll start with volleyball, basketball, and swimming to raise funds and athletes for Olympic sports. We'll reward franchisees for athletes who are used in the youth academy, attracting talent from across the country. We plan to launch these franchises in 2020."
"Further down the road, we have the goal of having an Olympic sports center recognized as the largest in Brazil. We're among the top clubs today, but we have a few steps to go to reach the level Flamengo deserves for several reasons. In our favor, we feel the Olympic athletes' desire to be at the club, which comes for several reasons, such as fulfilling their promises, a coherent project, salaries paid on time, and a dedicated fan base. We believe the path is paved to get there, but it's one step at a time. We want to do sustainable things to stay at the top."
CUIDAR
"In the spirit of CUIDAR, this intelligence aspect, we want to have greater integration with the youth athletes and their parents to identify areas for improvement. Flamengo is a training team par excellence. We are creating an online evaluation method. We will begin this year with the younger categories, and the athletes will have the opportunity, twice a year, to evaluate what is happening within the team, what can be improved, and what is working well. This will allow us to analyze each sport/team to address critical issues."