Football in Spain
| Football in Spain | |
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Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid’s Stadium.
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| Country | Spain |
| Governing body | RFEF |
| National team | Spain |
| First played | 1920 |
| Registered players | 874,093 |
| Clubs | 21,649 |
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National competitions
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Club competitions
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International competitions
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Association football is the most popular sport in Spain, and is a widespread passion among the people of Spain. Football is the sport with the most registered players (a total of 874,093 of which 829,220 are men and 44,873 women), and most registered clubs (a total of 21,649) among all Spanish sport federations according to data issued by the sports administration of Spain’s government in 2014.
In a survey of sports habits of the Spanish population made in 2010, football was the second most popular recreational sport practised by the population (17.9%). A total of 75.9% of people said they had ever bought tickets to attend a football match. In addition, a total of 67.3% of the people said that they saw all, almost all, many, or some of the football matches broadcast on television. In another survey made in 2014, the practice of football decreased to 14% of the population, being overtaken by other sports, such as running, cycling and swimming for recreation. However, in this survey football was still the sport that interests the majority of Spain’s people (48%). A total of 67% of the population said they were fans or had sympathy for a particular club. In addition, 74.9% said they watched, whenever possible, the matches broadcast on television regarding their favorite teams; and 42.4% had, flags, badges or objects of their favorite teams. Data of this survey confirmed the widespread impression that most of Spain’s people are supporters of Real Madrid (37.9%) or FC Barcelona (25.4%), and the other teams have fewer supporters nationwide, as Atlético de Madrid (6.1%), Valencia CF (3.5%), Athletic Bilbao (3.3.) or Real Betis (3.2%).
A relationship between football, politics, identity and attitudes towards regionalism in Spain has also been reported.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (Spanish: Real Federación Española de Fútbol) is the national governing body, and it organises two Cup competitions (the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España), and the Spain national football team. The Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP) (English: Professional Football League), integrated by a total of 42 football clubs, forms part of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) but has autonomy in its organisation and functioning. It is responsible for the organisation of state football leagues, in coordination with RFEF.
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