Garathuz, the Athletic Club’s youth development project run at Lezama in partnership with Fundazioa, has won the Solidarity Award in the NGO category
The Garathuz project, developed jointly by Athletic Club and its Foundation, has been awarded the 2026 Solidarity Prize – in the NGO category – by the ONCE Social Group. These Solidarity Prizes are the highest honour awarded by ONCE Euskadi, and their aim is to recognise individuals or organisations that stand out for their charitable work within their sphere of influence.
As noted by the jury, the Garathuz project “represents a holistic view of football, where the aim is not only to train footballers, but also to develop people with values, education and social awareness. Garathuz’s main objective is for young footballers to develop as individuals beyond the sporting sphere”.
Awards ceremony at the Sala BBK
The 2026 Solidarity Awards gala has taked place today at the Sala BBK, and has been attended by a large delegation from Athletic Club led by Eneko Bóveda, director of Lezama, and members of his team including Nekane Díez, Mikel García, Galder Izaola and David Rincón.
They have also attended the ceremony Johana Ruiz Olabuenaga, director of Athletic Club’s Social Affairs Department; Galder Reguera, Project Manager at Fundazioa; and the youth team squad, who have carried out various Garathuz initiatives throughout the year in collaboration with ONCE. These include initiatives such as games or ‘blind’ snacks, through which the young people experience what daily life is like for a blind person.
Other Solidarity Awards
The other recipients of the ONCE Euskadi Solidarity Awards this year are: ‘Generación Cannabis’, an EITB programme; Paralympic triathlete Rakel Mateo; the company Lanagro Servicios SL; and Metaposta, run by the Basque Government.
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