Harbour cities often have a giant heart for football: Cádiz is no exception. In the city that sometimes is called 'Little Havana', the stands are steep and the fans are fiery.
Cádiz seems on certain places so much like the Cuban capital Havana, that the renowned James Bond movie 'Die Another Day' is partially filmed in the south of Spain. The resemblance can be see 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 a same kind of cathedral and old buildings. What it even makes better: at the Paseo Maritím of Cádiz you can play football as well. At the height of Punta de San Felipe there's a nice and popular sand pitch with goals.
Also football club Cádiz CF, the pride of the city, is 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 beautifule classicistoic cathedral on 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 the high buildings around. Downside: the capacity is with just 21.000 seats relatively low.
The physical store of Vintage Football Cádiz can be found at the Avenida Ana de Viya, but the best football shop of Cádiz has an online shop as well: https://souvenirsvintagefootball.com/. 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.
Also nice, around the corner of the famous cathedral of Cádiz is the sport shop Deportes Bernal.
Right next to Nuevo Mirandilla there's a typical Spanish football bar just like they should be: Bar Gol. The unpretentious diner is completely painted yellow and blue and has a retro interior, with a classic football on the frontage. 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 neighboring town of Cádiz on the mainland. Ga toch Rincon de Gadeiras, at the 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's more bars around, so you can easily make it late here.
Because of the location of the city (it's actually more a peninsula) Cádiz is almost completely surrounded by water. The most football pitches are a stone's throw away of the coast or harbor and an excellent example is the Complejo Deportivo Puerto Elcano. A amateur pitch that's in the middle of the beautiful marina of Elcano, an eastern point of Cádiz. When you aim a little bit too high, the ball ends in the water. From the pitch you have an amazing view of the giant road bridge of Cádiz, the Puente de la Constitución de 1812. Also the Campo de Futbol Pedro Fernandez, a little further north, is beautifully situated besides the water.
Tickets for a game in Nuevo Mirandilla aren't really easy to get: Cádiz CF is in La Liga almost always sold out, to season ticket holders and socios. Asking around in bars or shops helps. An organized football travel agency can always help, and there's 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 - you wouldn't say - right in front of Nuevo Mirandilla.
Images: BSR Agency
