Harbour cities often have a giant heart for football: Cádiz is no exception. In the city that is sometimes referred to as 'Little Havana', the stands are steep and the fans are fiery.
Cádiz resembles the Cuban capital Havana so much, that the renowned James Bond movie 'Die Another Day' is partially filmed in the south of Spain. The resemblance can be seen especially at the malecón of Cádiz, the big boulevard Paseo Maritím. In terms of buildings and coastline, it's almost identical to the malecón of Havana, completely with the same kind of cathedral and old buildings. But what makes Cádiz even better is the fact that at the Paseo Maritím, you can play football as well. Near the cemetry, there's a nice and popular sand pitch with goals.
Football club Cádiz CF, the pride of the city, is very close to the beach. When you follow the Paseo Maritím down south, you'll first pass the famous beach of Playa Victoria. This is the best spot to photograph Cádiz, with its beautiful classic cathedral in the background. A couple of blocks behind the boulevard you'll find the Nuevo Mirandilla, a lovely atmospheric stadium with very steep and compact stands, wedged between high buildings. Downside: the capacity is with just 21,000 seats relatively low.
The store Vintage Football Cádiz can be found on the Avenida Ana de Viya, but the best football shop in Cádiz has an online shop as well. They don't just have an awful load of football jerseys (both retro and original), but also little action figures of players, stickers, posters, mugs and so much more.
Near the famous cathedral of Cádiz, you can also find a lovely sports shop called Deportes Bernal.
Right next to Nuevo Mirandilla, there's a typical Spanish football bar: Bar Gol. The unpretentious diner is completely painted yellow and blue and has a retro interior, with a classic football on the front of the bar. You can get simple, but good tapas and lovely sweet churros. On the inside, you drown in the football pictures, almost all from the famous Cádiz CF.
You're looking for a good bar to watch football? You should go to San Fernando, the neighbouring town of Cádiz on the mainland. You can find Rincon de Gadeiras on Calle Hermanos Laulhé 16 in the centre of San Fernando. Scarfs on the yellow-blue walls, lots of screens and different types of beer. There are more bars around, so you can easily go on a night out here too.
Cádiz is given its location, which is actually on somewhat of a peninsula, completely surrounded by water. Most football pitches in the city are a stone's throw away from the coast or harbour. An excellent example is the Complejo Deportivo Puerto Elcano. An amateur pitch that's in the middle of the beautiful marina of Elcano. When you aim a little bit too high, the ball ends up in the water. From the pitch, you have an amazing view of the giant bridge of Cádiz, the Puente de la Constitución de 1812. Another great pitch is Campo de Futbol Pedro Fernandez, a little further north, which is beautifully situated next to the water.
Tickets for a game in Nuevo Mirandilla aren't easy to get. Since Cádiz CF has been playing in La Liga, the stadium is almost entirely filled with season ticket holders and socios. Asking around in bars or shops helps. A football travel agency can always help and there are a couple of Spanish resellers, like milanuncios.com.
It's better to leave your car parked in the narrow Cádiz. But the train stops in front of the stadium: the exit of station Estadio is right in front of Nuevo Mirandilla.
Images: BSR Agency
