frigorificos-morrazo · History

Club Balonmán Cangas, which plays under the sponsor's name Frigoríficos del Morrazo, was founded in 1961 in Cangas, in the O Morrazo area of Pontevedra. It began with a group of friends who played handball and travelled to Vigo to face other teams. That year, playing as Luceros, they won their first match against Alerta de Vigo and registered as a youth team, and that registration is taken as the club's official start.

Luceros and Alondras (1961-1984)

The team played as Luceros O.J.E. until 1974. It had its first senior side in 1968, in the provincial third tier, and in 1969 it moved up to the provincial second tier and formed its first women's team. It reached the provincial top tier in 1970-71, and the O Aterrado court opened in 1972. In 1974 the handball section joined Alondras CF. Under that club it opened the Romarigo sports hall in 1977, won the provincial top tier and in 1980-81 reached the national Segunda Nacional.

Club Balonmán Cangas is born (1984-1995)

In 1984 the handball section left Alondras and Club Balonmán Cangas was founded, with Pepe Iglesias as president. The women's team won the provincial league and cup in 1985-86. The men's team won the Galician group of Segunda Nacional in 1988-89 with only one defeat, which took them up to Primera Nacional B, and they went up again in 1990-91. That same season the Frigoríficos do Morrazo sponsorship began, and the company's name became the team's name. Modesto Augusto coached the side until 1997. In 1993 the Galician Handball Federation named it best Galician club. The team finished second in 1993-94 but missed out in the promotion play-off. It went up in 1994-95, third in División de Honor B: the club's first promotion to Liga ASOBAL.

First spell in Liga ASOBAL (1995-2006)

The club made its top-flight debut in 1995-96, finishing 13th, and stayed in Liga ASOBAL for eleven straight seasons. Goran Dzokic coached the team from 1997 to 2000, and it finished ninth in 1999-2000. Goalkeepers who played at O Gatañal included Denmark's Kasper Hvidt, France's Bruno Martini (1998-99) and Croatia's Venio Losert (2005-06). Rubén Garabaya (1999-2001) and Antonio Ugalde (2003-2005) also played for the club. Eighth place in 2004-05 earned its first European spot. In the 2005-06 EHF Cup it went out in the third round to Viborg HK, winning 29-27 at home and losing 32-20 in Denmark. In the league that season it finished 16th, the club's first relegation.

Down and back up (2006-2012)

After three seasons in División de Honor B, Cangas won promotion in 2009 through the play-off in Pamplona. The return lasted one season: with Curro Lucena as coach it finished 16th in 2009-10 and went down again. Víctor García, known as Pillo, took over in 2010, and Antonio Ugalde came back for a second spell between 2009 and 2011. Tomás Fontán retired in 2011 after fourteen seasons in the first team. In 2012 Cangas won back its place in the top flight in a play-off held in its own arena.

Best season and a return to Europe (2012-2016)

Under Pillo the team improved each year: 14th in 2012-13, tenth in 2013-14 and fifth in 2014-15 with 32 points, its best top-flight finish. That place took it into the 2015-16 EHF Cup, where it again went out in the third round, this time to CSM București (29-29 in Cangas, 31-24 in Romania). In 2015-16 it also reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, where Helvetia Anaitasuna knocked it out, and the semi-finals of the Copa ASOBAL, where it lost to FC Barcelona. Montenegro's Alen Muratović, who had played for the club from 2003 to 2005, came back in 2013 and stayed until 2021.

O Gatañal

The municipal O Gatañal arena, on the road from Cangas to Aldán, opened on 18 September 1993, at the start of the 1993-94 season. It holds about 2,500 spectators, and fans call it «O Fervedoiro». In 2023 it averaged 2,082 spectators per game, the second-highest figure in Liga ASOBAL. Suso Soliño, who made his debut in 1994, played his 29th season for the club there in 2019-20.

From Pillo to Quique Domínguez (2017-2025)

Pillo resigned in December 2017 and was replaced by Magí Serra, who stayed until 2019. Nacho Moyano then took charge for six seasons. The 2019-20 league was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022 the team played the Copa del Rey finals in Antequera. It beat Ademar León in the quarter-finals with a last-second goal from Jenilson Monteiro, then lost the semi-final to FC Barcelona. Cangas finished 11th in Liga ASOBAL in 2024-25, and in 2025 Quique Domínguez replaced Moyano as coach.