Football in Mallorca

Football without frontiers

Football is a never-ending source of small talk and a fine way of meeting your new fellow countrymen.

Are you interested in football? Then welcome to paradise! If you follow football in the stadium of the premier league club Real Mallorca or on one of the local football pitches, which exist in even the smallest villages, or if you prefer to be in the action yourself or to support your favourite team from the stands: every football fan will be satisfied with the football culture in Mallorca.

Football is topic number one in bars and cafés and from all walks of life. So, if you want to join in this popular pastime, make sure you gain some knowledge and vocabulary and visit your local bar on a Sunday evening. This is the place where Mallorcans meet to mutually cheer for goals or discuss the latest decisions of the referees.

To catch up with what is happening here, read one of the four daily newspapers which are almost exclusively dedicated to the people’s sport: MARCA is selling 2,5 million copies every day and is the best selling Spanish newspaper. Add to this the other three (AS, Sport, El Mundo Deportive) and the readership raises to an incredible 4,75 million.

Each television channel has football in the news, there is a special broadcast of important football events and of course live transmissions. These are particularly brilliant on the radio where each match of the premier league is transmitted in length including preand after reports, comments and statistics. The late night sports show “El larguero” has an average of 1.5 Mio listeners even after midnight. This is how everybody interested in the game becomes an expert and knows everything better than the coach of his favourite team. There are more than 210 football clubs registered in the local associations (60 around Palma alone) and there are numerous non-registered teams from schools and companies exercising regularly. This makes it easy to find the right club to work up a sweat. Fun is key and football helps to make friends. Take the “international kids” for example, who mingle in many clubs and who learn to swear in Spanish or Catalán in no time at all.

The clubs are organised in associations which are split into several leagues. The players are obliged to present a thorough check by the health authorities and to have an accident insurance. Apart from the matches within the leagues there are always tournaments, like the international tournament for teenagers “Torneo Mallorca” (more information: www.torneomallorca.com).

This is an excellent example how football encourages of making new friends.

An excellent initiative with regards to integration is another tournament for grown-ups: the Copa Latinoamericano”. The Asociación de Argentinos” has organised this international football trounament for the third time. The twelve teams of the “Balearic Culture Centres in Argentinia and Uruguay” will play for the championship of the Latin-American group in Argentinia.At the same time the twelve teams of the European group will play against each other. The team members are residents of all nationalities (Argentinians, Chileneans, Germans, British and Spanish). The champions of both groups will then play against each other. To make a real fiesta out of this event, there will be lots of additional activities for the spectators around the football pitch as well (more information: 666 653 981 and 647 486 197).

If you want to combine football with holidays, everybody from 6 to 18 can join the holiday camp of Rudi Völler in Cala Millor where former German professionals will train your offspring. Real ball talents are promoted in the well-organised junior devisions of the premier league club RCD Mallorca, who have no less than 7 Mallorcan-born professionals on their payroll. If your goal is to play for fun rather than to compete againstthe galactics Real Madrid you will find plenty of opportunities in school grounds, playgrounds, public pitches and the beach. Once you start, you will find many willing teammates to join in the fun.

Football active:

All registered clubs with address and telephone number:

www.futbolbalear.com (listado de clubs)

Inexpensive and good quality equipment:

Decathlon Palma:

1. Camino de Jesús (enfrente de Son Moix) 971 25 35 80

2. Centro Comercial Al Campo 971 604 032

Soccer camp:

www.calamillor.org

Superskills Football Academy For boys & girls from 8-18:

Calvía, Tel.: 666 468 501

www.superskills-football.net