Lifes a Pitch in Alicante

Life's a Pitch in Alicante

Catching football fever from the dizzy heights of La Liga to the teams in the local leagues

Spain is passionate about many things – its fiestas, the food, the language and football.

Everyone has a favourite team, although you may be forgiven for thinking that there are only two Spanish sides – Barcelona and Real Madrid. Spain hold the World Cup and the Euro 2012 Cup. The best footballers in the world – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – play in Spain. The most expensive player in the world, Gareth Bale, has signed for Real Madrid. So what makes Spanish football so special? Is it the passion, the drama on and off the pitch, the skills, the tactics or the sheer determination of the players.

If you can’t get to see the top clubs, never fear, you can still enjoy some fantastic football in the Alicante region.

 

Elche in action

Exciting Elche

The most exciting team to follow this season is Elche, who are playing in La Liga for the first time in 24 years. This is a chance to see the top teams in Spain (if not the world) playing in the Alicante province. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia and Atletico Madrid will be stiff competition for them. Elche are a tough side but don’t expect too many goals – they are strong defensively but are not so hot in attack. Although they’ll find it tough in their first year in the top flight, the atmosphere will be fantastic. They have many loyal fans who are passionate about their club and get behind them vocally at every home match.  They may not have famous names but you may see some future stars. After all, Santi Canizares started his professional career at Elche and Peter Schmeichel said he regarded Canizares as the finest goalkeeper in world football. 

Santi Canizares started his professional career at Elche

Heroic Hercules

Hercules play in the Spanish 2^nd division. Two years ago they were in the same position as Elche as they won promotion to La Liga – but only survived one season. Hercules, who play in Alicante, are worth watching for two good reasons. The first is that former Chelsea player Quique De Lucas signed for Hercules this season -  he's a skilful forward and still quick with the ball. Also, Hercules are in the same league as Barcelona B and Real Madrid B, so there is a chance to see some great young players in the making. Don’t forget Messi, Puyol, Iniesta, Busquets and Xavi Hernandez are former Barca B players, so you may be watching the next Barca superstar. Hercules are a more attacking side than Elche and their forward Javier Portillo was one of the division’s leading goalscorers with 17 goals last season. 

Superstar Lionel Messi played for Barca B

All-round Alicante

Alicante are in a lowly regional league called Regional Preferente. It’s about the equivalent of the conference league (or maybe lower) in English football. They spend most of their time in the third division or the regional league but made it to the dizzy heights of 2a in 2008/9. The advantage of seeing Alicante play is that they only play local clubs so every game is a derby.  Alicnante have a long history of financial  problems, to say the least. In 1997, they were in danger of becoming the reserve team for Hercules, their rival in Alicante. They managed to stave off the problem with a change of president and also won promotion to the 3rd division. These regional league games are played in small, compact stadiums and usually have a very friendly atmosphere. You often get the feeling that the same few fans turn up every week – and that they’re more interested in having a chat than watching the game.

Totally Torrevieja

Torrevieja FC are famous for having such a huge international support, particularly among the expat English community. The Torry Army, as the supporters’ club is known, follows the team home and away. The supporters also raise a lot of money for the club through various events. Over around 10 years, these fans increased crowds at the ground from about 100 to 500. Although it has dwindled a bit, there is still strong support for the 3rd division side. One famous former Torry player is Kenny Brown, who played for West Ham in the 1990s.

Hercules CF