| |
A beginner's guide to football in Spain
By Mike McDougall
Football in Spain, much as it is in England, is undoubtedly the national game with a passion for the sport that can only be matched in a handful of countries around the world. Spain's La Liga (Spain's premier football league for those not in the know) is regarded in many circles as the best in Europe and the international team have been tipped to bring home some silverware from a major tournament for a long time (I might add they've yet to oblige the nation). Taking all of this into account football is clearly tied in heavily with Spain's cultural fabric. To watch a game and to gauge the day to day news and debate is to sample something of Spain and its people firsthand. There aren't many social areas which football doesn't permeate; whether it's digesting the sports pages in a café, catching a game in a bar or kids in the streets and playgrounds emulating the feats of their heroes.
The two most famous clubs are Barcelona and Real Madrid, the latter having been regarded as the best team in the world for the last few years. With squads reading like a who's who of international football the clubs boast some of the best players from around the globe. Football in Spain is a big deal and the stadia, which constitute major tourist sites in both cities, certainly reflect this passion; the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona has a capacity of 100,000 whilst the Bernabeu stadium in Madrid boasts a capacity of close to 90,000 and both are amongst the largest in the world. Visitors to the cities should certainly consider as tour of the stadiums for a chance to see just how big they are. Both also offer excellent museums offering insight into the two clubs glittering histories and also a chance to see the changing rooms – where most Spanish schoolboys dream of sitting one day.
As you could imagine, the rivalry between Barcelona and Real is massive and when they play the match is simply known in Spain as "El Derby", it is the biggest sporting fixture in the Spanish calendar and is quite possibly the most fiercely contested (and supported) domestic match in all of football. There's even more to play for this season as Barcelona ended Madrid's dominance by claiming La Liga (Spain's premier football league for those not in the know) for the first time since 1999. Madrid will be looking for revenge this season and have brought in some exciting new players to try and reignite their title challenge.
One excellent indicator of how big football is in Spain (and particularly at these two clubs), is just how much pressure is heaped on players and managers alike by supporters and the media when results don't go their way. Club boards can be exceedingly fickle and the way in which club presidents are actually elected by the season ticket holders, gives the fans a lot more power as those running the club have, to some extent, to respond to their demands and whims to keep their popularity. For these reasons La Liga is probably the toughest European league to manage in and most clubs have an alarmingly high turnover of head coaches. It's certainly a cut-throat business and an area in which the Spaniards are partisan, extremely passionate and always have an opinion.
About the Author
Mike McDougall has five years experience working as a travel writer and marketeer. He is currenlty working to provide additional content for Babylon-idiomas, a Spanish language school with an excellent presence in Spain and Latin America.
This work is covered by a creative commons licence
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/11584.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/11584.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Mike McDougall | Christmas in Spain
Rather refreshingly, Spain doesn't seem to start gearing up for Christmas until they get into the month of December. It's not the huge commercial circus that it is in ...
Spain - Europe's new culinary hotbed
There are exciting times ahead for Spanish cuisine. An extremely good crop of young, ground breaking chefs are placing Spain firmly on the culinary map, even eclipsing their old neighbours to the ...
Semana Santa - Malaga
The Holy Week (Semana Santa) processions are the largest religious festival in the catholic world and take place from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday with the ...
Sherry - a wine of tradition
A fortified wine from Andalusia produced only in and around the town of Jerez in the Cadiz region. The Spanish producers have since registered the Sherry / Jerez / Xeres ...
Diego Velasquez
Diego Velasquez is one of Spain's most celebrated and influential painters, born in 1599 he rose to become the leading artist in the royal court of Phillip IV. Velasquez came along during the ...
The Alhambra - Grenada
The Alhambra is touted by many as being the best preserved example of a Moorish palace in Europe. Located in the ...
|
|
| |
