As I have said elsewhere, I am a soccer fanatic and I was delighted when Simon Harris decided to launch an English-language web-site devoted to the “Beautiful Game.” I was even more delighted when i saw the site evolving.

As Simon explains, ” www.spain-football.org is a website with a very simple objective ‘Enjoy The Beautiful Game In Sunny Spain!’ Inspired by rainy Saturday afternoons in the north of England when all you could say about the game was ‘It pissed down and we lost 3-2!’, I originally intended to write a book about the joys of watching of watching great football in a great place – I support Barca, I’ve lived in the Catalan capital for more than 20 years and I sincerely believe that what you read in the press about both the city and the team falls sadly short of the wondrous reality.

The germ of an idea had been knocking around in my head for at least a decade, when Rangers were drawn against Barca in the Champions League. Their supporters let themselves down very badly and apart from feeling very annoyed by their behaviour, it struck me that all they needed was a healthy dose of education. If someone had only pointed out to them that had they only gone down to the beach to take their shirts off, get stupidly drunk and urinate in public, nobody would have batted an eyelid. Spain is inundated with places where you can be as uninhibited as you like but obviously, the Spanish aren’t to pleased if you do it whilst they’re trying to do their nine to five daily business.

The website will still develop into a printed something or other but at the moment it aims to make the visiting football fans life easier – buy the ticket, book the flight, hire the car, find the hotel, buy the shirt, read a book about it . . . and learn summink!”

“Thanks, Simon.”

Yes, is a veritable mine of information and is made more interesting in that it is a work in progress. Soccer fans throughout the world are encouraged to add their comments and share their opinions, Whilst, Simon may be a mad Barcelona fan and I am a crazy Real Madrid fan, we can agree that La Liga is one of the very top leagues in the world and at whatever level you watch Spanish football, you cannot fail to be impressed by the skill and passion of the players ….and fans!

Simon has also been kind enough to overview all the top teams for the 2009/2010 season in La Liga

* Recreativo de Huelva
* Athletic Club de Bilbao
* Barcelona
* Espanyol
* Real Madrid
* Atlético Madrid
* Sevilla
* Deportivo La Coruña
* Valencia
* Xerez
* Tenerife
* Sporting de Gijón
* Racing Santander
* Mallorca
* Osasuna
* Villareal
* Valladolid
* Zaragoza
* Getafe
* Almeria