Madrid is a city full of sport. From both team and individual, male, female, and mixed, national and local, popular and obscure, whatever your sporting preferences are, Madrid will have something to offer you. Unfortunately, I will not be able to talk about every sport offered in Madrid, but I have chosen a mix of sports I have experienced as well as those I have become aware of through other means. In each sport listed, there is an option for beginners, so if you are looking to try something new, then this is the blog for you! If you are looking for a specific sport that I have not included, please reach out. I may be able to help.
Rugby (Union)
Being the capital and biggest city in Spain, the best rugby in Spain is played in the community of Madrid. Spain’s top two leagues are fully national, and the third league is split into three regions. There are also many lower leagues played only in Madrid. Some larger clubs in Madrid have multiple teams playing in different leagues. Such teams include Alcobendas, Liceo Francés, and Complutense Cisneros. In fact, Cisneros has a team in every league they are eligible for.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of teams in Madrid are Spanish-speaking, with a mostly Spanish player base. There are, however, exceptions. Liceo Francés is a French-speaking club with little English spoken. Additionally, my team, the Madrid Barbarians, is a half-expat, half-Spaniard team where the lingua franca is generally English. The Barbarians A team plays in Regional 2a (the fourth tier of Spanish rugby), and they train 8-10 pm in Parque Deportivo Puerta Hierro every Tuesday and Thursday. The Barbarians also have a B team that plays a few leagues lower, perfect for those early in their rugby career. Unfortunately, the Barbarians do not yet have a women’s team, but all the other clubs mentioned in this section do.
Basketball
Basketball is one of the biggest sports in Spain, and that can be seen in its popularity in Madrid. There is plenty of structured basketball played in Madrid. Liga Free Basket (LFB), run by Federación Baloncesto de Madrid, is home to dozens of teams playing in 19 separate divisions. Anyone is able to enter a team into the league, and the top teams go into a playoff series. This league is a great option if you already know some people who play basketball, and you will be able to have five people available once a week. Games are played on Tuesday evenings. You are, however, also able to register as a free agent. This allows you to play more flexibly and join in with teams who need players. This is a great way to meet new people and find a more permanent team, if that’s what you are looking for.
If you are looking for more relaxed but still competitive basketball, there are many outdoor courts open to the public where pickup games are played throughout the late afternoons and evenings. Some of these are in Lavapiés and Parque Oeste.
Netball
For those unfamiliar with netball, it is a sport popular in countries such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and could be described as basketball without dribbling. Netball isn’t played as often in Spain as in other European countries, but you can still play in Madrid!
Netball Madrid is a women’s team that provides training by experienced players as well as gameplay. The team is a mixed ability environment, including beginners to players who have competed internationally. Games are on Saturday mornings, and there is often a training session held on Tuesdays, both in El Retiro Park. Additionally, there is the possibility to play in tournaments where the team plays multiple games on the same day. The price is €5 per training session, with the first session being free. The sessions are generally structured as one hour of drills followed by one hour of game play.
Brazilian Jujitsu
Jujitsu is a sport growing quickly in Madrid. There are many jujitsu gyms throughout the city. One of the most notable is Círculo de Jiu-Jitsu in Salamanca. Círculo welcomes people of all levels, from absolute beginner to advanced. Círculo offers a friendly and safe environment with both male and female coaching. There are people from many different countries, with Spanish being the most spoken language, but only English is certainly enough to get by. There are multiple classes a day, with the first starting at 7 am and the last at 8:30 pm, so you are sure to find a time that suits you. Dedicated beginner classes are held Monday to Thursday at 6:30 pm. The price is €10 for an hour session or €80 for a month’s subscription. They do, however, offer a completely free trial session for those considering joining.
Running
Madrid is a city of runners. It only takes a walk through El Retiro Park to see the popularity of the sport. Besides El Retiro, there are many other good places to run in Madrid, such as Casa de Campo and the riverside in Arganzuela. There are also racing tracks open to the public for free use, such as the one in Parque Santander, Cuatro Caminos.
The Zurich Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon is held annually in the centre of Madrid. Alongside the main event, a half-marathon and a 10km run are held on the same day. There is also a separate half-marathon event in March. This year, some friends and I joined almost 30,000 other runners in completing the distance. The event and expo the day before were well organised, and the route takes you through all of central Madrid. For those interested, I would look at buying an entry as soon as possible, as tickets start at around €20 and increase throughout the year up to €80.
Run clubs are a great way to meet people with common interests. Voltar Run Club meets twice a week and is free to join and participate. You simply need to go to their Instagram page, click the link in their bio, and register for the session. There is a run every Wednesday at 7:30 pm and 10 am on Saturdays. The start location is generally in El Retiro Park, with the exact location accessible on the Instagram page.
Gym
There are also plenty of gyms in Madrid. The two most popular chains in the city are VivaGym and Basic-Fit. Both brands offer a largely similar commercial gym experience, with Basic-Fit membership costing €25-€30 per month and VivaGym coming in at slightly more expensive. Both gyms offer a subscription that allows you to use all the gyms in Madrid for only slightly more per month. Both chains offer classes such as spin classes, boxing, boot camp, yoga, etc. Additionally, there are a handful of Planet Fitness gyms in Madrid. Although there are substantially fewer locations than VivaGym and Basic-Fit, Planet Fitness gyms tend to be substantially larger, with a higher quality of machines. Additionally, members are entitled to a free haircut every month! This comes to €28 a month, making it a very good option if you happen to live close by.
Author: Michael N.