Elisa Aguilar and the talent: “Awa, Iyana… they have been playing in formation all their lives”

Elisa Aguilar, from the presidency of the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), radiates happiness in the management of women’s basketball. She was a top player. And know the journey of effort and commitment. In an extensive interview with Agencia EFE, she outlines the roadmap for the female universe and considers attracting the talent of a team that has just won bronze at the World Cup in Berlin.

“There is an important job of recruiting talent. If you look at the women’s team, (Elena) Buenavida, Awa (Fam), (Alicia) Flórez and Iyana (Martín) They are four who have practically been playing in formation all their lives. It is not a team, it is a team that has been competing for many years, but that begins in the under-12 team,” argues Aguilar.

Never have so many women in Spain played basketball as today. With record numbers, it is the sport with the most women’s licenses and, in addition to the sporting successes of the team, there is an increase in attendance at the pavilions, the growth of audiences and an ever-increasing expectation. The women’s game is going through one of its best moments and seeks to turn this sporting boom into a growing phenomenon also off the field.

Question (P): This weekend the season begins with the Super Cup and the following weekend the Endesa Women’s League. With the growth of the WNBA and the emergence of new competitions, how do you approach this new ‘different’ season?

Answer (R): It’s funny because it seems like we finished ten minutes ago (the World Cup) and we are already excited about this competition again. We start with the Super Cup in Torrejón (Madrid) with four great projects, the way ticket sales are going is an example that women’s basketball engages and sells, we are going to experience a weekend of talent and excitement. Our league is the best in Europe, the new circumstances with the WNBA and its growth are modifying the international calendar, but we are working to adapt and emerge stronger from this situation.

“The ceiling is still very far away”

Q: The World Cup in Berlin hooked a lot of people. I don’t know if we are facing the best moment in the history of women’s basketball in Spain?

A: The good thing about this is that you have to see it as a whole. Ten years ago, circumstances were different, but basketball continued to grow. It has been invested with a titanic effort by the clubs, it is not easy to get projects off the ground due to the social, economic and political circumstances. We are in 2026 in circumstances that we could not even imagine and that is the important thing.

Attendance at the pavilions is increasing, we can see it in the Queen’s Cups that we are ‘sold-out’ and in the Super Cup that we are going to experience in a few days, the whole issue of audiovisual rights that we have been able to sell, which is the first time in history that visibility will be on eight platforms.

All the impact that our summer has had on the audience level, all the training medals mean that we are in a moment, I don’t know if it is the best in history, but in this circumstance it is exciting. The FEB is not going to give up because we believe that this growth limit, that ceiling, is still very far away.

Q: How is the FEB going to work to continue this growth?

A: In the visibility, in the growth so that the fans continue betting, in the institutions continuing to support. We will continue to do the good things that we are promoting, such as coordination with the clubs and trying to ensure that there are more and more financial resources for them.

Our effort is to increase visibility and that makes our league much more attractive. If we attract talent, that talent will be seen on the court. Then we move it to the summer, which is the national teams and fortunately we have an impressive future. We will continue there.

Record number of female licenses

Q: It is the sport most practiced by women in Spain for almost two decades and it does not stop growing. Since 2007, there has been an increase from 116,416 female licenses to 163,770 in 2025.

A: There is a lot of work from the entire basketball ecosystem: from the clubs, from the players, who are references, before it was difficult and that is important for that growth. In the end when you look at a reference it is not only because of how good he is on the court, but also what he transmits. And we find that product attractive.

Q: This summer, full of medals in the training teams. Have we normalized the extraordinary summer after summer?

A: Every time I start a summer I can assure you that I have no guarantee that we are going to end up being gold. A maxim that we carry in the Federation is that we have to go out and compete and never give up, that is our DNA.

There is an important job of attracting talent. If you take the women’s team, Buenavida, Awa, Flórez and Iyana are four who have practically been playing in formation all their lives. It is not a team, it is a team that has been competing for many years, but that begins in the under-12s.

We have talent, very good coaches and we have been a roller. We cannot allow ourselves to think that it will always be the same, we have to continue training players at a sporting level, as well as on a personal level.

Iyana Martín, an international phenomenon

At just 20 years old, the talented Asturian point guard Iyana Martín is the fashionable name in international basketball for her spectacular performance in the last World Cup, in which she was named ‘Best Young Player’ and was part of the ‘Ideal Quintet’ of the tournament.

Q: Regarding Iyana Martín, could it be that since the emergence of Ricky Rubio, a name has not generated so much expectation in Spanish basketball?

A: With the World Cup he has held he has eclipsed the world of basketball. It has something that you either have or don’t have. At 20 years old, the path of improvement is very long, but that magic… She is a player who plays with that smile on her face, she is daring, shameless. Obviously exciting.

Q: The selection during the World Cup in Berlin reached a large audience: 2.5 million people followed it on television and 37 million impressions on social networks. What is it about this team that is so engaging? The bronze has been much more than a medal…

A: They have that happy, engaging way of playing, they have respect, but not fear of any team. A clear example was the semifinal against the United States. In the past, before starting the game we were 15 down. Now, they compete internationally much more than us, they go to the NCAA, the WNBA, they treat them more on a personal basis. They know that at some point we can win them and that is the mentality we had. It couldn’t be, but this team is positivism, unity, commitment and that is what has hooked us. And, if then it were, on top of that they are young, fun people, who have a very good speech, they start dancing, in the end that hooks on networks. We are in luck for having a great team like we have.

Spanish women make the leap to the United States

Q: Beyond the medals, it is being a historic year for women because six Spaniards are competing in the WNBA. What does it mean to have more and more presence in the best league in the world and what impact will this have in terms of visibility?

A: The impact is positive. For Spain, having six players in the WNBA is a source of pride, an example of how well it is being done. The Americans already see us as a different Spain than we were before the World Cup and that is thanks to them. That visibility that the American competition gives is going to be good for us at the Spanish basketball level.

Q: The French national team players announced after the World Cup final that they want to maintain the block for the qualifiers and for the next Eurobasket, despite the fact that they overlap with the WNBA. Can Spain do it too?

A: Our players have told us that they do not want to miss anything both in the ‘Windows’ and in the Eurobasket, which will be held next June. What does this imply? That the WNBA is not going to stop, so there will have to be negotiations. The solution is for the organizations, both FIBA ​​and WNBA, to sit down and try to reach an agreement so that in the European Championship we have the best players, which is what everyone wants. Honestly, we cannot deprive a player of playing for her national team and we cannot deprive a federation of not having its best players. This is all negotiations, good will and common sense.

Q: The Council of Ministers approved this week that access to retirement will be facilitated for professional athletes. What is your opinion of this new measure?

A: It seems fair to me and I hope that this law can cover all the circumstances that existed at that time, which are not easy because it was not the professionalism that exists now, there are clubs that have disappeared, I don’t know if everyone had contracts. Let’s hope that all the athletes who have represented Spanish sport are rewarded because they have dedicated their lives to our country.

Q: What does it mean to Elisa Aguilar that girls grow up with role models like Iyana Martín, María Conde or Raquel Carrera?

A: A total pride and joy, on top of that I have to live this time as president, there can be no greater pride for me than being in this responsibility. It is necessary to continue advancing that girls have female references and that they can dedicate themselves professionally to it. Not only the players, but also at the level of presidents, club leaders…. It is important that women are in those positions and, fortunately, the most visible are the players and that is the best news we can have.