Marbella knocks sports off everywhere else!

Over the past few years, Marbella has experienced many hurdles. However, things are finally looking up as the town’s new sporting image gets catapulted to pole position in the Andalucía region.

As well as being the perfect place to relax, unwind and let your troubles take a back seat, Marbella is a mecca for those who enjoy keeping fit and enjoying world class sporting events. Since the Andalucian Association of Sports Managers praised the town for having the ‘Best local authority for the management of sports in Andalucía’ in 2009, Marbella’s sporting atmosphere has improved dramatically.

As well as a wealth of popular golf courses, tennis courts and watersports facilities, the town is now working towards promoting a better lifestyle for families, by encouraging children to partake in physical activities such as swimming, football and basketball.

Event horizon

Already, there have been a number of events that have helped to boost Marbella’s new ‘sporty’ image including the Davis Cup quarter finals which took place in July 2009, the International Grand Prix of Rhythmic Gymnastics and the Andalucía Tennis Experience, which saw many well-known Spanish players grace centre court for an all-girl tennis extravaganza.

UD Marbella is the town’s very own football team which plays regular matches at the Estadio Municipal de Marbella, boasting a capacity of 9,000 seats. As well as football games, the stadium also hosts cultural events such as music concerts and festivals.

To the extreme

Sports of the more adventurous variety are becoming increasingly popular in Marbella. With a wealth of excellent watersports and professional training available (think surfing, kite-boarding and scuba-diving) plus more hardcore activities, such as caving, climbing, quad-biking and skydiving, it’s not surprising that Marbella’s extreme sporting facilities are attracting people from all over the globe.

Motorsports are also popular here. With a fantastic go-karting track at Funny Beach, off-road buggy racing through the picturesque Andalucian countryside and even the opportunity to take control of a lush Lotus Elise at Ascari, one of the world’s top luxury racetracks, it’s not difficult to see why so many holidaymakers choose Marbella.

Marbella’s got personality

For many years, Marbella has been a magnet for celebrities seeking fun in the sun including sporting personalities such as famous international football heroes David Beckham, Christiano Ronaldo and Claudio Caniggia.

The town is also a favourite with the wives ang girlfriends (WAGS) of many famous sportsmen so you can expect to see the likes of Colleen Rooney and Victoria Beckham shopping for new Jimmy Choos in Marbella’s upmarket Puerto Banus.

Be good to yourself

As well hosting annual sporting events and attracting sports personalities from across the globe, Marbella now offers a wide array of sports and fitness centres many of which offer indoor and outdoor swimming facilities, saunas, jacuzzis, powerplates and gymnasiums as well as a number of classes such as spinning, Tai Chi, kickboxing, body combat and karate. Wellbeing classes like yoga, pilates and aquatic exercises can also be found at a large number of fitness centres in the area and most members of staff at the larger centres speak English.