Valentina Cáceres and Marina Ibañez, two promises of the Vicentinos Club
Vicentinos is a club that was born from another. Due to a difference in thought, players decided to found their own institution at Av. Primera Junta 3165, San Miguel. Valentina Cáceres and Marina Ibañez are players of Vincent since its inception, in 2012. Valentina debuted in Primera on Saturday the 21st and Marina is the captain of a team that is growing.
“There was a group of players, both hockey and rugby, who got together, had an idea, a dream and came here with the help of partners, parents, friends, family”Marina commented. It is an everyday job, where all the members of this club contribute their grain of sand. With a lot of effort Vicentinos is what it is today thanks to its people.
As captain, for Maru it is a source of pride and pure happiness to wear the shirt and play in First A. Accompanying the younger players and being a role model is something she carries with great responsibility, because she knows what it means to wear the ribbon. Valen goes through something similar: “I dreamed of being here a lot, I worked a lot for this from a very young age and playing today alongside role models, friends and teammates is really something very nice and even more so wearing the shirt that I have worn since I was so young and that I love.” Despite having played his first starting game with Primera – in many clubs that have rugby this is the way to debut -, since the fifth division he has minutes on the field and was always a fundamental part of the team.
What is Maru like as a captain? “She is a player with sometimes a low profile, sometimes not so much, but she is always there for her teammate, to give you some help, some comment, always with the best, she is there to support you and accompany you”Valen said. With her constant word on the court, it is clear that her team relies a lot on her.
The First A of Vicentinos is a very small team, with an average age of approximately 22 years and although one of the objectives is always promotion to a higher category, they prioritize the training of the minors “We want to lay the foundations for the new litters that are going to arrive, receive them in the best way and the dream would always be to try to be fighting as high as possible”Maru said. Furthermore, being a relatively new club, the idea of always continuing to grow is latent in all players, both hockey and rugby. Valen lived all the good and bad moments with Vicente, and now that he has to be on the field, his goal is very clear: “My dream is to be fighting for a promotion at some point in my life with my friends.”
Vicentinos Primera A is a young team with big dreams. Adjusting to their reality – many experienced players left in 2025 – they are adapting as a team and as a human group. They are all together pulling in the same direction, and although they do not know if promotion will happen this year, they do see a prosperous future for the team in the long term. “If I had to choose one word to describe the team it would be resilience, there is a lot of effort from each of us”Valen concluded.
