The La Liga Christmas break is finally over! Catch Athletic Bilbao in action this January

Every Christmas, Spain’s professional football leagues take a break to recover from a hard fought first half of the season. Thankfully for us football lovers that break is finally over and we can go back to watching our favourite teams in action. For all of us at Instituto Hemingway there is only one team though, Athletic Club de Bilbao

Established in 1898, Athletic Club has played in La Liga (Spain’s top division) since its formation in 1929 and joins Barcelona and Real Madrid as one of the only teams to have never been relegated from the top flight of Spanish football. Subsequently, Athletic Club is considered one of Spain’s most historic and iconic football clubs.

Heritage and tradition have always been hugely important to Athletic Club. Their story is a relief from the current footballing world that is increasingly ruled by globalisation, ludicrous transfer fess and money. Athletic rely almost entirely upon their cantera youth system for players and only those from the Basque Country are eligible to play for them. Subsequently, Athletic is incredibly unique and the people of Bilbao and the entire Basque Country are hugely proud of their club. On match days the streets of Bilbao are buzzing with passionate football fans as bars are packed out with loyal and friendly supporters cheering on their side. It’s an incredibly special place to watch football.

Now the team are back in action after a well deserved rest and have started the second half of the season in magnificent form. Last week they beat Barcelona 2-1 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter final with goals from star striker Aduriz and pacey winger Iñaki Williams. However, Bilbao finished the match with only 9 men, as Raul Garcia and Ander Iturraspe were both sent off. Therefore, Athletic Club will have a tricky task ahead of them in tonight’s second leg fixture in Barcelona.

One can see Athletic play in the newly developed San Mamés Stadium. Seating 54,000, it is a state of the art ground situated right in the centre of the city (just a 20 minute walk from Instituto Hemingway!) Tickets are available for La Liga, Europa League and Copa del Rey matches right through till the end of the season in May. In 2020, you will even be able to watch European Championship matches here as Bilbao was selected as the Spanish host for UEFA Euro 2020!

If you would like to study Spanish in a football mad city then Bilbao is the perfect place for you! You could enjoy our effective and enjoyable Spanish classes while also having the chance to see one of Spain’s most famous teams. We offer both morning and afternoon Spanish classes varying in intensity and suited for all abilities. After a week of worthwhile classes you can go and see Bilbao play in one of their weekly La Liga fixtures that usually take place either on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. If this appeals to you then send us an email at info@institutohemingway.com and we will sign you up directly.

We hope to see you soon!