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Home | Football
Fixtures
By Dee McMath
Football is a favourite spectator sport in Andalucia amongst a huge number of British and Spanish alike. The foreign influence has increased the popularity of football over the years and there are usually local matches, where you can support or even join the team. For foreigners living abroad, a football match can be a great way to meet like-minded local people in a relaxed, yet lively atmosphere. You might learn a few choice Spanish phrases that you should check out before you incorporate them into your everyday vocabulary!
Since so many British people have settled in Andalucia and especially along the Costa del Sol, over the last 20 years or so, there is now a large English speaking fraternity that follows the Premier League and especially Malaga Football Club.
The Premier Football Division in Andalucia is largely dominated by two teams:
Sevilla and Betis are both from the City of Sevilla and the competition between them and their supporters is fierce.
Sevilla Fútbol Club - colours - Red & White
Avenida Eduardo Dato, 41005 Sevilla
Tel.: (+00 34) 954 53 53 53
Fax: (+00 34) 954 53 60 61
Home Ground - "Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán" Stadium (Capacity - 45.500)
Spanish Championship: (1) 1946
Spanish Cup: (3) 1935, 1939, 1948
Although the Sevilla Football Club officially kicked off on 14th October 1905 with the approval of the Club Statutes, British sailors had introduced the idea some 15-20 years earlier. These pioneers of the game in Seville, who worked on the boats, which came up the river, were considered outrageous and caused quite a scandal in the Sevilla society of the late 19th century. The idea of kicking a ball around with your feet as a sport was something completely new and treated with disdain to begin with.
Today, the local enthusiasts of the Sevilla club show their Andalucian passion for their team, but the foreign element forms part of the back bone of team support. Many British football fans regularly attend matches to cheer them on.
Real Betis Balompíe - colours - Green and white stripes
Address: Avda de Heliópolis, Sevilla
Telephone: 954 610 340
Founded: 1907
Home Ground: 'Ruiz de Lopera' Stadium (Capacity - 52,500)
Official Website: www.realbetisbalompie.es
In 1907 a group of students in Sevilla started what was to officially become in 1914 the Betis C.F. (Club de Fútbol). It was the idea of Henry Jones, a British resident in Sevilla at the time, to get the club up and running. Jones became the first president of Betis.
The newly formed club struggled relentlessly against the Sevilla Football Club, which was considered to be of a much higher rank. A balance of power was struck when King Alfonso XIII of Spain awarded Betis with the title Real (Royal). Thus endorsed by the Spanish Monarch, the green and white team gained credibility in 1915.
Malaga C.F. - colours - Blue and white stripes
Paseo de los Martíricos, 29011 Malaga
Home Ground: La Rosaleda (Capacity 25,000)
Official Website: www.malagacf.es
Second Division Teams:
Xerex (Jerez de la Frontera)
Cadiz
Malaga
Poli Ejido (Almeria)
Almeria
Lorca
Malaga fought their way from Group 9 of the third Division in 92/93, to finally achieve First Division status in 1999/2000 and remained in the First Division for a number of seasons but are now relegated to the second division.
Second Division B Group 4 Teams
Seville Athletico
Linares
Cordoba
Alcala
Marbella
Baza
Granada
Malaga B
Jaen
Ecija
Football Camps for Kids are also
popular in Andalucia.
3rd Annual
GAA Footbal Tournament
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