in Cádiz they have decided that playing soccer on the beach is a prohibited activity

It doesn’t matter the year, the city, or the beach. Every summer on the sandy beaches of Spain there are a series of images that are religiously repeated: the queues in the beach barsthe crowded parking lotsthe tourists who They approach at dawn to the beachfront to hang his umbrella and reserve the best spaces… and the groups of children playing with balls among bathers who just want to lie in the sun, which sometimes leads to the occasional fight.

In Cádiz they have decided that they want to save that last one.

What has happened? For a few days now, the beaches of Cádiz have been the protagonist of a curious controversy: Balls yes or balls no? Should ball games be prohibited on sandy beaches? Do a group of children who want to have a party in the sand have the same right to enjoy the coast as a retired couple who just want to sunbathe, or should the latter be prioritized?

These are questions that tend to be repeated year after year, but a few days ago Canal Sur recovered them in a report in which he reveals that in Cádiz the Local Police have gotten to work to put an end to the little parties on the beach.

Why’s that? By pure regulations. The ordinance of Cádiz is very clear and limits the spaces in which you can (and cannot) play with balls in the city’s sandy areas during the summer. The key is that the City Council has decided to move from theory to action and has mobilized local agents to enforce this rule. In a matter of two days they seized 18 balls.

And that is the least of the problems for the ‘hunted’ players red-handed. Those who disturb other bathers by playing with a ball may commit a minor offense, for which they risk fines of up to 750 euros. If they are also repeat offenders and are caught twice, the punishment can increase to 1,500.

He reportage of Canal Sur shows another reality, just as important: the norm is far from arousing consensus. Their reporter interviews bathers who call it “atrocious” or “exaggeration” that someone is fined 750 euros just for kicking a ball. Also to others who complain about “lack of control.”

“The boy with the ball again, I’m going to have to get up because if he hits me with the ball…” complains one of the women interviewed. “What bothers me is that they get close, hit me with a ball and break my glasses.”

What does the ordinance say? The most curious thing, as a local Cádiz police officer reminds Canal Sur, is that the restrictions that affect ball games on the town’s beaches are not new. The ordinance It was published in the Provincial Gazette in August 2023 and in its article 29, dedicated precisely to “games and recreational activities” in the city’s sandy areas, it is very clear about it:

“The walk, the stay or the bath in the sea will have preference over any other use on the beaches of Cádiz (…). People who practice sports on beaches will make normal, rational and peaceful use of the beach space, without causing inconvenience or damage to the rest of the users or to the natural attributes of the beaches.“.

And in case it is not clear, underline:

“During bathing season, and in order to avoid possible inconvenience to other users, the activities and ball sports will take place in the areas marked and enabled for this purpose, included in the Operation Plan.

When the sports activities in question may cause inconvenience to other users, the sports areas will be provided with protections and background nets, in order to prevent the projection of balls and balls towards the bathing area, walkways over the sand, shower areas, changing rooms, first aid kits or any other facility.

Does it only happen in Cádiz? Not at all. Controversy has arisen in Cádiz due to the Local Police campaign and the removal of 18 balls in just 48 hours, but the Cádiz City Council is not the only one that prioritizes bathers over those who want to play with the ball on the beach. At least during the summer months.

The municipal regulations de Vigo also clarifies that games with balls or paddles “both in sand and water” can only be played when “they do not pose a nuisance” to the rest of the users. A similar pattern is found in the ordinances of To Coruña, Alicante either Malagato cite a few examples.

More or less clearly, permanently or depending on each context, all the rules agree on the same thing: the games cannot interfere with the rest of the people who enjoy the sand. “It is prohibited in bathing areas and waters and during the bathing season (…) to carry out activities, games or exercises that may disturb others,” he clarifies. the Malaga norm.

Does it only affect the beaches? No. A quick Google search comes in to find articles and forums in which the loss of spaces is pointed out in which a few years ago one could play without a problem and now they veto the use of balls.

“In this park where generations have grown up playing soccer and with a ball in their hands, they have put up this sign prohibiting it,” commented In February, a Reddit user next to a photo showed a sign banning balls. “I can’t help but wonder: where does the city council want to focus children’s leisure? There are fewer and fewer spaces for free play and more regulations.”

What is the priority? “Then we worry that children will spend more time with screens, consoles and mobile phones, ‘like zombies’, but what real alternatives are we leaving them if even the most basic things are taken away from them in parks?” duck the same user. Your comment from a thread of responses with different opinions and also some more photos in which you can see signs prohibiting balls.

In recent days there have emerged similar comments in networks following the news about the beaches of Cádiz: “The boomerada then he goes around all the televisions puffing out his chest because they played all day in the street and the children are now on their cell phones,” another user shared on Saturday from his X account.

Generational change? In the background there are several interesting questions, closely connected to generational changes. Do children today have fewer places to play with balls than those of 30 years ago? Are those generations restricting boomerswho played in the streets and squares, the spaces to play soccer? The topic is far from being anecdotal and connects with other relevant areas, such as education or even gender roles.

In 2024, the General Council of Physical and Sports Education of Spain published a study which shows that in school playgrounds girls tend to be located on the periphery and boys in the central area, where the courts where ball games are played, especially soccer and basketball, are located.

Is it just football? No. “Some authors suggest that this fact is explained by gender socialization, which causes the preferences of a specific group (usually the boys who play soccer best) to be imposed on the rest of the students. While recess is a right for everyone, its practice could be limited for those who do not participate in these ball games,” commented several teachers in an article of The Conversation in which they agreed that “it is increasingly common” for ball games to be banned in public areas.

Once again, the issue of football, playgrounds and recess has gone beyond the strictly academic to enter fully into politics, as in Cádiz. Just a few months ago two town councils in Ibiza they were news because they raised reorganize the space dedicated to football in school playgrounds. One of its objectives: to prevent girls from being “relegated to the margins.” It’s nothing new. Other centers in Spain have done something similar in the past.

Images | Alain Rouiller (Flickr) 1 and 2 and Andalusia Direct (X)

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