PICK A PITCH

I found a local football club at the sea end of the Valle Grand Rey this afternoon! Valle Gran Rey is a huge ravine spilling out from the centre of the island creating a delta where a settlement has been established, as far west on the island as you could get.

Surrounded by brilliantly huge volcanic cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean crashing against a huge cobbly beach, UD Gran Rey is a Gomeran football club, which apart from the other Canary Islands of La Hierro and La Palma is one of the most westerly in Europe. Iceland and Greenland may have a shout in this of course. But you get the drift. The club runs at least the following teams: " Alevines, Benjamines and Pre-Benjamines, Infantiles,", which means juveniles, youngsters, even younger and infants,  I think. Oh and BTW there is a nudist beach within binocular distance of the pitch.

It looks as though there are 8 clubs on the island competing in a round robin league and I found 3 pitches, all astro, with lights and basic facilities. Here is the pitch at the base of the "best view in the island", the Mirador de Abrante, a "sky viewing platform" in the north-east of the island.

In the background is Mt Teide in Tenerife a spectacular sight. The Abrante also caters for the hungry and thristy tourist running a restaurant but I would not want to be delivery man who has to negotiate a tortuous road from the town of Agulo, the football club's home, and a bit of a resort.







Finally I came across this little gem at Vallehermoso which is also on the northern side of Gomera. Nice small town, inland amongst the mountains, not touristy but the coach parties stop off there as a watering hole.

My urge to find some live football fell on deaf ears (Mrs B!) so I have had to do with taking photos of grounds I have come across this week and pretend. something is happening. You have to guess which pitch you would most like to turn out for each week.