Moving to a new city means that you can’t always find what you want easily. For all football fans this includes places to play football. Now, everyone knows how easy it is to watch a football match in Madrid, you just head on over to Real Madrid’s impressive Santiago Bernabéu stadium and you’re sorted. It’s also pretty easy to watch a game at a sports bar while sipping a beer and snacking on some nachos. The real question is where can you actually play football? Well, here is a little guide on playing football in Madrid: where to play, how to sign up, what the best options are.
International Football Games
Take advantage of your time in Madrid by playing football games with other young internationals right in the city centre! From scheduled games to casual meet ups, you’ll be able to connect with other football enthusiasts to practice this awesome sport.
Simply send us a WhatsApp to let us know you’re interested and we will povide you with all the details about the games, how they work and how to sign up! Check out our article on How and Where to Play Football in Madrid for even more options!
Sign up to Teams and Leagues Online
The best way to find football teams is to do some research first online. It can be tricky to find teams and how to join just by googling it. You’re more likely to find a team, training times and teammates by going directly on sports forums and websites. Here are a few websites that I’d recommend:
Timpik
A great place to start is Timpik. This is a website dedicated to connecting people who want to play sport. All you have to do is create a profile on their website and then you can sign up for football matches on the days that you are available to play. From there you can contact other players and find teammates!
IFL
IFL Madrid is a super popular international football league. Sign up on their website and they’ll send you upcoming games. There is also a great social scene where you can hang out with your teammates off the pitch!
Meetup
Meetup app is another good tool where you can join groups of likeminded individuals and make teams. There are also established teams that advertise training times and games. Download the app and see who else wants to play! There’s always lots going on. Airbnb also has forums to discuss meeting up to play football, so you can check that out too!
Where do People Play?
Madrid has various sports facilities that are run by the council (19 in total) called Centro Deportivo Municipal (CDM) followed by the barrio name. Two good ones are CDM La Chopera in Retiro and CDM Pradillo in ChamartÃn. Another popular location is in Vallehermoso: Ocio y Deporte Canal, in Parque de Santander. There are two grass football pitches here for 7-a-side and 11-a-side football. You can reserve the pitch on their website and also join their league (liga in Spanish).
Good to know
- Five-a-side football is really popular here. They call it futsal and it is inside on hard courts. This is especially popular in winter when it is colder and gets darker earlier on.
- Friendly games are called pachangas which are common on the weekends in their version of Sunday League football.
- Make sure you look the prices online or ask about them at the centres because often you have to pay more for things like astroturf and floodlights.
So, whatever your level, fitness or availability you should be able to get in some game time, as Madrid is a city of football lovers! If you’re a sports fan and want to enjoy all Madrid has to offer, take a moment to join our Citylife Sports club! A place for sports enthusiasts to get together to watch games, to organise pick-up games, find discounts to shops and gyms around Madrid, swap advise and learn about sports in Madrid!
More Articles About Sports & Fitness in Madrid:
Low Impact Sports Offered in Madrid
Boxing Antón MartÃn: Boxing, Kickboxing & Fitness Classes in Madrid
ValdesquÃ; Madrid´s Top Ski Resort
The Perfect Place for a Run in Madrid!
Get in Shape in Madrid with the Citylife Sports Club
Outdoor Activities Around Madrid for the Adventurist in all of us!
El Horno – Madrid’s Top Fitness & Recreation Center
Playing Tennis & Padel in Madrid: Where & How
Spain’s Most Popular Sports
Meet & Dance: Salsa & Bachata Night!
8 Public, Recreational Pools in Madrid!
Indoor Swimming in Madrid
4 Comments. Leave new
Our family is relocating to Madrid from the US. How do I find a soccer league (team) for my son (13YO) to play during the year?
We are going to visit Madrid and wanted to find a pickup game for my 12 year old. Any suggestions?
My men’s team is traveling to Madrid in March and we would like to play against a team from Madrid. Can you help us arrange that?
Football is one of the most widely played sport in the world and is actively followed and pursued by billions of people around the world. There are some countries who are exceptionally better at playing this game and in that list, Spain comes at the top. Spain is famous for football and Madrid boasts of some of the world-class clubs like Real Madrid. Thanks to the author for giving information on some of the websites that let people who play football come in contact with each other. If someone visits Madrid, then he can easily look for some players by going through these sites. Moreover, a trip to Madrid without playing football will be incomplete.