As of tomorrow La Liga will kick off for its new season; Barcelona will be attempting to retain its haul of trophies, Real Madrid will be showcasing its new set of Galacticos and the nation of Spain will be cranking up expectation for next year’s World Cup. As people looking in, we know enough about Spain’s relationship with football – but what’s it like for the ex-pat living in Spain? How do they see it?

One person who may be able to shed light on this is Charlie. He is currently living in Barcelona soaking up the food, language and it seems – the football culture. I’ll leave him to explain:

This is Spain, and as soon as I have stepped outside the door a football rolls into my path. Literally. I have a scout and notice some kids waving at me to kick it back in their direction. No big deal, I played for my school team, in fact I’d probably be playing in the Champions League if it weren’t for my imaginary hamstring issues. I kick the ball back and it somehow manages to end up further away than it was originally. One of the kids, obviously unimpressed with my ability, nips past me and collects the ball; on his return he nutmegs me. I try and remember the Spanish word for ‘hamstring’, then I realise I never knew it to begin with, the best I can do is ‘leg’. I pretend to limp and shout out “Pierna!” pointing at my leg, his little friends laugh me off the street and carry on with their game.

As I walk on, someone is screaming. Expecting a crime scene, I turn to see an ageing gent sat in a bar, casually shouting obscenities at a television screen. Of course, he’s watching a football match. After taking another look, I realise that Ronald Koeman is on the pitch. Either I’ve woken up in the early nineties or this is a replay. Little bit over excited for a replay, no? No, this is Spain.

Into the supermarket, needing some crisps, I have a browse. Real Madrid have their own crisps, FC Barcelona have their own crisps, there’s even one brand that have their crisps in the shape of footballs. You can literally eat a football, admittedly they are slightly smaller than your standard issue FA ball and lack the leathery taste, but technically you are still eating a football.

I arrive home and finish the last of my football shaped food. I take a seat and pick up the paper, pausing for a moment. I think about football and Spain. In Spain, football is inescapable. It is everywhere. Sport basically just means football over here. I’d even go as far to say that football is bigger than sport, if that actually makes any sense. This can be summed up with one example; El Marca is the number one selling newspaper in the country is solely concerned with football. Here the majority of people prefer to read football gossip rather than the actual news, I am in that majority. I open my copy of El Marca, if only to look at the pictures and attempt to piece together the Spanish transfer activity.

This is Spain – it is football through and through.

Ever experienced a match being called off due to heavy rain? Most of us would agree that water-logged pitches and games of football just don’t mix. However, there is a group of people in Gloucestershire who would beg to differ.

This Bank Holiday Monday the annual Bourton-on-the-Water Football in the River will take place. The banks of River Windrush are expected to be lined with hundreds of spectators as they watch a 30 minute six-a-side match take place. Put to one side will be the standard football jerseys and trainers , and in their place will be towels and wellies. This really isn’t your average game.  

If you’re going to be in the area on the 31st August this event would be well worth a look. Let’s face it – it’s probably the only time you will ever see a match purposely played and watched in such conditions.

Further details can be found here. (image source)

Top flight football attracts fans from far and wide and that’s reflected in the distances we’re willing to travel to watch our teams in action. It’s also reflected in how far our clubs are willing to travel to play in front of their supporters – just look at the ever popular Far Eastern tours, for example. As I’m sure you’ll agree, the distances clubs’ fans travel has probably jumped significantly over the past 20 years or so with the introduction of the Premier League, and such like.

What we also know is that it isn’t just ‘not so local’ fans top flight teams are attracting. The same can most certainly be said about the playing staff. You’ve probably had this discussion many times before about the ‘foreign influx’. It isn’t a discussion that looks likely to go anywhere any time soon. With that in mind, BBC Sport have compiled some data in order to document the growing tendency towards a more and more Global Game. This study compares the Premier League squads’ players’ place of birth from the ‘89-90 season with the same information from their current squads. It’s worth a look – even if just to compare the interactive maps from then and now.