Sports camps for kids in Spain: football, tennis, padel, basketball, swimming and more
A practical guide to sports camps in Spain: football campus, tennis, padel, basketball, swimming, golf and gymnastics, with coaches, levels, kit and prices.
Spain is a sporting country, and children's sports camps are everywhere: football campus run by clubs, tennis and padel academies, swimming courses in municipal pools, basketball weeks in federation centres. For visiting families they are a good way to keep a child active and make friends without needing much Spanish. This guide explains what to expect, what the catalogue shows, and how to choose well.
How many sports camps are there?
In our catalogue of 941 camps, the sports most often listed are swimming (184 camps), football (81), tennis (43), padel (27), basketball (25), golf (18) and gymnastics (10). Many more camps are multisport (353), mixing several activities. Water sports such as sailing, surf and kayak have their own guide: water sports camps in Spain. The largest cities have the most choice, but there is also a clear map of regional strengths.
Football campus
Football is the biggest single-sport category: 81 camps, of which 32 are morning programmes, 25 are residential and 21 are full-day. Madrid has the most (17), followed by Mallorca (10), Barcelona (8) and Asturias (7). Options go from municipal and local-club campus to professional club camps and residential football academies, which are where the high prices are: the weekly price of a football camp in our catalogue goes from about 115 euros to well over 2,000 euros, with a median around 300 euros. See football camps in Spain, in Madrid, in Barcelona or in Mallorca.
Tennis and padel
Tennis is strong in Barcelona, Mallorca and the Costa de la Luz, and padel, the fastest-growing sport in Spain, is concentrated around Barcelona. The format is usually a daily block of coaching in small groups plus match play, often in a club with a pool. Tennis camps have a median of about 335 euros a week in our data; padel around 235 euros, though only a small number of prices are published. Browse tennis camps, tennis in Barcelona, padel camps and padel in Barcelona.
Basketball
Basketball camps are fewer (25 in the catalogue) but often run by federations, clubs and university or national-team coaches. Aragon has the most. They suit children from around 8 or 9, and often include match play and drills by level. Look at basketball camps or basketball in Madrid.
Swimming
Swimming is the most common sport on our site, mostly because many casals and summer schools use municipal pools. Typical offers are a daily lesson in groups by level inside a multisport programme, or a dedicated swimming week. The median is around 195 euros a week. Look for lifeguards at all times, small groups for non-swimmers and a clear rule on the use of the pool by age. See swimming camps.
Golf and gymnastics
Golf is mostly residential or full-day at a club (the Costa de la Luz and Costa del Sol have most), with equipment often included. Gymnastics and similar disciplines are fewer, so book early and check whether the organiser is a federated club. See golf camps and gymnastics camps.
Club camps, federation camps and pro-club camps
- Local club or municipal campus: the cheapest, close to home, Spanish-speaking, with young coaches and teenagers as helpers. Great for fun and for trying the sport.
- Federation or school campus: more structured, with qualified coaches and level groups.
- Pro-club camps: the name of a professional club on the brochure. Ask who the coaches really are and how many children per coach; a famous badge is not a guarantee of quality.
- Residential academies: serious training, sometimes with school lessons, and the most expensive option.
Coaches, levels and group size
A good sports camp tells you the qualification of its coaches (a federation title or a degree in sports science), the ratio of children per coach and how it forms groups. A common arrangement is one coach per eight to twelve children for a land sport, and a much lower ratio for sports with higher risk. Ask how groups are formed — by age, by level, or both — and whether a child can change group after the first day.
Kit, schedule and what to bring
Check whether the camp includes a kit (T-shirt, shorts, ball) or whether you buy it separately. Bring suitable shoes, a water bottle, sunscreen and a cap; for padel and tennis, children may need their own racket, while many camps lend equipment for beginners. A typical schedule is two to three hours of sport in the morning, lunch, rest, then a second activity or a pool; in midsummer many camps move the sport to early morning because of the heat.
Prices in short
Typical weekly prices from our catalogue: most sports day camps cost 150 to 400 euros a week; residential sports camps cost much more, from about 500 euros to above 1,000 euros for elite programmes. Prices change each season, so use these as an orientation only.
Which sport for which child?
If your child is under 7, a multisport programme or swimming is usually a better start than a single-sport campus: they try several things, and the coaches are used to very young children. From about 8 or 9, children who already play in a club will enjoy a specialised campus, where the level is higher and the training more structured. For a child who has never played the sport, choose a camp that says clearly that it takes beginners, and avoid anything described as a high-performance or selection programme. Finally, ask how much of the day is real training and how much is free play, rest or pool time: a seven-hour day does not mean seven hours of coaching, and the better camps are open about it.
Tips for visiting families
- Choose a sport that does not depend on language: most coaching is physical and visual.
- Half-day morning camps leave the afternoon for the beach or the family.
- Check the camp's season: sports camps run mostly in summer, but many clubs also run camps at Easter and Christmas.
- Use the compare tool for the camps you shortlist, then register on the organiser's own website: we do not take bookings.