Tag: mallorca

Mallorca’s Summer Shift: Tourism Trends and Future Strategies

September is here and we are finally seeing a drop in temperatures across the island. You won’t be surprised to hear that this has been the hottest summer on record since 1961. The highest temperature recorded on the island was 41.9°C in Pollença.

Whilst it has been a busy high season in Mallorca, some areas of tourism are reporting a downturn in both numbers and spend. However, figures just released say that tourist daily spend in Mallorca has surged from €150 pre-pandemic to €219, and it has been driven by higher prices. So, where is the money going?

Rafael Roig, president of the Balearic Transport Federation, says that coach operators are experiencing a “somewhat weaker” season than last year, mainly due to a decrease in excursions and tour groups.

“The season is proving to be worse than last year’s.” “In July and August, there have been days when we’ve had more than a hundred 55-seater coaches sitting idle in the Balearics.”

He also added that excursions have seen at least a 10% decrease year on year.

Juanmi Ferrer, president of the CAEB Restaurants Association in Mallorca, highlighted that individual establishments have faced severe drops of up to 40% in patronage, putting hundreds of businesses at risk of closure.

There are two factors that have affected this. People aren’t coming on holiday now for seven or 14 nights. A long weekend of three or four days has become popular, as has a three- or four-day midweek break when flights and hotels are usually slightly cheaper.

Nearly 70% of all hotels in Magaluf are now four- or five-star, so disposable income is now being spent on those hotels and flights, with less money being spent on in-resort offerings such as bars, cafés, restaurants and excursions.

Because they are coming for less time, they are becoming more choosy about what they want to do. This means that all the in-resort offerings will need to look at their models and see if they not only fit into this new way of travelling, but are also offering what the clients are actually looking for.

Mallorca has an opportunity to reinvent itself, and the quicker it realises this, the better. What do I mean? Well, I’ll come to that, but we have already shown it can be done with the transformation of Magaluf. So, what does Mallorca as a whole need to do?

Well, in my opinion, it has the opportunity to not only reinvent itself but solve the overtourism problem too.

Without any doubt, global warming is becoming more and more prevalent with each passing year. The proof is in the numbers. In the 1960s, the first 30°C day was occurring, on average, on the 13th of July. In the 2020s, that figure has been the 19th of June.

This means that temperatures during the high season of June, July, August and September are becoming hotter and hotter, which for some people is becoming unbearable.

The rise in temperatures, though, is not limited to Mallorca. The UK is suffering the same problem and, let’s face it, the UK isn’t built for heat!

Where they are suffering most is in schools. With no air conditioning and limited ventilation, the heat became stifling, and more than 1,000 schools across the UK either closed or sent pupils home early before the hottest part of the afternoon this summer. Conditions were particularly challenging for GCSE and A-level students sitting exams during extreme heat.

According to research, high temperatures can significantly impair the concentration and performance of children in schools. So, there is a call for the whole school year to be looked at.

I’ve been banging on for years about how draconian the law is when it comes to not allowing children out of school during term time for holidays. This now needs to be scrapped, giving families and schools the right to determine when children can take holidays.

But it also looks like the authorities want to completely change the school calendar year. This may well mean that people will be travelling outside of the traditional high-season months of July and August.

Therefore, the whole model of how Mallorca currently works will have to change. Will we be ready for that change?

Well, it’s coming, so we mustn’t get left behind.

The Solar Eclipse Impact on Mallorca Tourism

I for one probably underestimated the impact that the eclipse has had on Mallorca. It was something I had been aware of for about a year, but it didn’t really float my boat, if I’m honest. I remember reading reports earlier in the year that Sóller was already 80% sold out for that week, but still, it didn’t fully register.

In actual fact, I only really started thinking about it properly when our Talking Balearics podcast talked about it three weeks ago. Also, through what I was doing as part of my concierge business, I was suddenly dealing with a whole load of different nationalities, but the country that had the most visitors was, without doubt, the USA. When I was speaking to them, some had made their reservations 18 months ago!

Eclipse hunters are also called umbraphiles. They are dedicated travellers who journey across the globe to witness total solar eclipses.

Shadow Lovers: The word umbraphile means “shadow lover.”

Obsessive Planners: They track paths of totality years in advance.

Global Travellers: They visit remote islands, big cities and rural villages just for minutes of darkness.

I listened to their stories of where they had been and how many eclipses they had seen. These were people from all walks of life, both young and old, and they all had one thing in common.

Working in Palma in July and August with the heat isn’t easy, but there was such a change in the city in the days leading up to the eclipse. Obviously, it was busy, but there was a buzz building as everyone was deciding where they were going to watch it.

Interestingly, though, on the day itself, Palma was eerily quiet. Not quite a ghost town, but in normal Palma terms, it wasn’t far off.

We were lucky as, where we live near Port Adriano, we could walk out onto the rocks near Malgrats and watch it. I have to admit, I was blown away by the experience, particularly when totality happened.

Social media was flooded with videos and pictures. My wife was very happy that she won a prize in the Majorca Daily Bulletin photo competition and became even happier when she realised she had beaten the Beckhams!

The next total solar eclipse will take place on August 2nd, 2027. The path of totality, as it’s called, will be seen in the following places:

  • Europe: Southern Spain and Gibraltar.
  • North & East Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt (including Luxor and the Giza Pyramids), Sudan and Somalia.
  • Middle East: Saudi Arabia (including Mecca) and Yemen.

Totality will last up to an incredible 6 minutes and 22 seconds near Luxor, Egypt, making it one of the longest land-based total solar eclipses of the 21st century.

Some of the people I spoke to had already booked to go to there and, whether you like it or not, the eclipse mixed with the pyramids is going to be pretty spectacular.

In fact, some of them were even thinking about the one after that, which will happen on Saturday, July 22nd, 2028, in Australia and New Zealand.

I checked online and there are travel companies that dedicate themselves to this form of travel, including many cruise companies that offer specific cruises too.

On the day of the eclipse, there were six ships moored in Palma despite the three-ship daily limit. These, however, were more VIP vessels that hold fewer passengers and therefore remained below the passenger capacity set by the Balearic Government.

It’s a great way to travel the world when you think about it. Although, now I’ve seen one, I’m not sure if I would go to another country specifically to see another. Each to their own, though, and without doubt, it has given a huge boost to the economy here in Mallorca.

Just a pity it didn’t happen in the low season, but you can’t have everything!

Balancing Tourism and Local Life: Mallorca’s Sustainability Challenges

It’s a subject that keeps coming up, and I’ve commented on it many times here. It comes back into the spotlight again here in Mallorca on Sunday, July 26th. We are talking about tourism sustainability.

The last major protest of this kind was in July last year, so it makes you wonder two things: Is there a problem, and what have these people been doing for the past year?

You would think the protesters would have come up with some workable ideas by now that could benefit the island. But no. What they have come up with is a document singling out key commercial pillars that they accuse of driving up the cost of living and squeezing out local residents.

  • Holiday Rental Properties: Apartments and villas utilised for short-term tourist accommodation.
  • Hotels and Resorts: Major hotel chains and infrastructure catering to mass tourism.
  • Real Estate Agencies: Firms facilitating property investments and second-home purchases for international buyers.

This is the part I find unbelievable, and I’m not making this up.

Rather than advocating for peaceful assemblies, the document functions as an operational guide for low-level sabotage and avoiding law enforcement.

  • Identifying and avoiding security cameras when targeting a business.
  • Scanning areas for police presence and checking for plainclothes officers.
  • Tactical advice on avoiding personal identification by the authorities.
  • Carrying out direct actions such as graffiti, vandalism and property defacement, building on recent incidents where real estate storefronts were smashed and spray-painted.

Now, I believe in people’s right to protest, but when you go down this line, to me, you lose all credibility. This is what we are dealing with. Rather than coming up with sensible ideas, they come up with this. I’m lost for words.

I agree that Mallorca needs to look at its sustainability, but let’s be honest: we are not working flat out for 12 months of the year. I would say it’s four months—June to September. Some would argue it’s only July and August. Regardless of whether it’s two or four months, it’s not all year round. But that shouldn’t be an excuse to ignore what is going on. We should react in a positive way.

To alleviate the strain on infrastructure and the local housing market, the authorities have introduced definitive caps:

  • Cruise Ship Restrictions: Palma limits cruise arrivals to a maximum of three ships per day, with only one allowed to be a mega-ship carrying over 5,000 passengers.
  • Accommodation Freezes: Local updates for 2026 show a complete halt to the construction of new youth hostels and tourist apartment rentals in the capital city.
  • Capacity Targets: The Balearic Government has explicitly set caps to prevent total visitor numbers across the archipelago from exceeding historical thresholds.
  • In Mallorca, you are legally required to have an official tourist licence to advertise a property for short-term holiday rentals. Airbnb enforces this by requiring owners to enter a valid licence number before a listing can go live. In the city of Palma, renting apartments to tourists is now illegal.

However, here is a great example of how a national government run by one political party can undermine all the work of an island government run by another. The national government, run by the PSOE in coalition, decided to create a moratorium allowing roughly 500,000 undocumented migrants to obtain one-year work and residence permits. The measure was designed to integrate foreign nationals already in the country, address labour shortages and combat exploitation.

At this point, 34,000 have applied here in Mallorca. Whilst they now become legal residents, it makes you wonder how many didn’t apply, and what steps are we taking to stop undocumented migrants arriving in the first place?

I keep going back to an interview I did with Brad Robertson, who is the Founder and Ambassador of Save The Med. One of their missions is to promote regeneration through a holistic approach, helping local communities become aware and active custodians.

He said, “There’s too many people, mate. Whether you’re a tourist or someone who doesn’t leave your house, it doesn’t matter. There’s just too many of us!”

In two decades, Mallorca’s population has grown from 727,000 to 960,000, an increase of 32 per cent.

The questions remain:

  • Do we have a sustainability issue? Yes.
  • Are we doing something about it? Yes.
  • Can we do more? Yes.

Let’s see how the protest pans out.

England World Cup Journey: Memories from Mallorca

This week I wanted to talk about my England World Cup experiences since I arrived in Mallorca.

Italy 1990

My first ever season in Mallorca, and England, after a slow start, were playing out of their skin. It was the emergence of Paul Gascoigne, and I can distinctly remember Punta Ballena going completely mad when David Platt scored a dramatic late winner against Belgium in the last 16. That was followed by a nervy 3–2 win over Cameroon, before a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to our old foes, Germany.

United States of America 1994

This was an easy one, as England didn’t even qualify! It was the tournament where Graham Taylor, the then England manager, famously said, “Do I not like that!”

France 1998

I can still see Michael Owen waltzing through the Argentinian defence as a young 18-year-old to score one of the World Cup’s greatest goals. That was tempered by David Beckham kicking out at the wily Diego Simeone, leaving England with 10 men. They hung on gallantly, only to lose on penalties again.

South Korea and Japan 2002

This was a World Cup much like the one we are experiencing now, with some strange kick-off times. I remember watching Beckham’s revenge over Argentina over breakfast! This World Cup, though, will be remembered for Ronaldinho lobbing David Seaman from 40 yards. Was it a fluke or an act of genius? Nobody really knows, but it meant England were saying Sayonara to Japan.

Germany 2006

England were sweating on the fitness of a young Wayne Rooney, who had a broken foot and was deemed to be the man to lead them to glory. He did go but was disappointing and failed to score a single goal. They eventually lost to Portugal in the quarter-finals on, yes, you’ve guessed it… penalties! Scoring just one of the four they took.

South Africa 2010

Remembered for those damned vuvuzelas! I remember being back home in the UK for a family celebration and watching the Germany game with my brother-in-law, Anthony. It was the game that produced the “goal” that never was. Frank Lampard hit a shot that clearly crossed the line, but the referee didn’t give it. England were outclassed, went on to lose the game, and were out. That incident led to the introduction of VAR.

Brazil 2014

A tournament to forget. Losing to Italy and Uruguay, and drawing with Costa Rica, meant we were home before the 14-day return period on my new England shirt was up!

Russia 2018

The first of Sir Gareth Southgate’s tournaments, and the one where we finally broke our penalty shootout hoodoo against Colombia. Hands up if you had no faith in Eric Dier scoring the winning penalty! Unfortunately, we couldn’t maintain that momentum and lost in the semi-finals to Croatia.

Qatar 2022

I would have put my house on Harry Kane scoring from the penalty spot. However, against France in the quarter-finals, he managed to hit a guy in Row Z, and we were out.

USA, Mexico and Canada 2026

From my first World Cup in Mallorca in 1990, standing on Punta Ballena, to now, I’m at the stage where my boys are sending me videos of themselves celebrating in the very same street while I’m in bed! Regardless of where I was, this was honestly one of the greatest football matches I have ever seen England play.

I was born in 1966, so it’s sixty years of hurt…Never stop me dreaming! 

The Transformation of Magaluf: From Party Hub to Luxury Destination

I arrived in Mallorca in 1990 on a Dan-Air flight (remember them?) as I was attending a training course for new holiday reps with a company called Intasun. We had never been abroad as a family, so my mum (God bless her) thought I would be back within a week. Thirty-six years later, I’m still here!

The training course took place at the Hotel Guadalupe in Magaluf. It was fairly intense, but my previous four years as a Butlin’s Redcoat stood me in good stead, and I passed with flying colours. There must have been around 50 people on the course, and everyone who passed was called in to be told where in the world they were being sent. Another girl called Lisa and I were told we were staying in Magaluf.

And so my love affair with Mallorca and Magaluf began.

Magaluf’s advertising in 1990 was defined by brash, party-focused marketing from budget travel operators like Club 18–30. Campaigns relied heavily on cheeky slogans, radio spots, and tabloid print ads, promoting cheap booze and “sun-and-sex” holidays. That said, there was still a healthy mix of families visiting the resort.

A family holiday in Magaluf in 1990 was the classic British package holiday. It offered 3-star hotels, sun-drenched sandy beaches, and a boisterous, neon-lit nightlife, with family-friendly bars such as Manos and Benny Hill’s. It was also the time when Pirates Adventure came to the fore. As a hot-day rep, it was my favourite excursion, and I sent hundreds of people there. Little did I know it would become the company I would eventually spend the next 30 years working for.

Like this year, 1990 was a World Cup year, when England came so close to reaching the final. World in Motion by New Order, featuring the iconic John Barnes rap, was released and became a massive hit. Other songs I remember include Step On by The Happy Mondays, Groove Is in the Heart by Deee-Lite, and U Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer.

A pint of lager cost around 200 to 300 pesetas, and a full English breakfast was between 350 and 500 pesetas. Yes, this was all before the euro even existed.

I lived through all the good times of the 1990s and early 2000s, but then it all started to go wrong. Magaluf was making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Something had to change, and it did.

This transformation was driven by strict local legislation, hundreds of millions of euros in private investment, and a major push to improve the resort’s image and environmental footprint.

The new Magaluf was born – or, as it’s now known, Calvià Beach Resort.

It is no longer a resort dominated by the UK market. Instead, it has become far more cosmopolitan, with visitors arriving from all over the world.

More than 80% of the hotels are now four- and five-star properties. Brands such as Meliá, Fergus, and Globales have invested millions, helping to extend the tourist season and encouraging growth in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) sector.

Nikki Beach Mallorca has become the luxury anchor of Magaluf’s upscale transformation. Fashion brands such as Mango and Springfield, supermarket chains including Lidl and Aldi, and food and beverage names such as Five Guys and Starbucks are now all part of the resort’s growing fabric. Add to that the increasing number of bars, restaurants, beach clubs, and cafés run by local entrepreneurs, whose food, drinks, and customer service are second to none.

The beach is one of the finest urban beaches in Mallorca, having earned the prestigious Q for Tourist Quality flag. It has also been restored to a more natural state, complete with a dune system and palm trees. Through the new DTI (Smart Tourist Destination) project, the beach is now monitored in real time, allowing visitors to instantly check occupancy levels, water quality, and other useful information.

There’s also a new boardwalk, which has enhanced the range of leisure and dining options, significantly raised standards, and helped establish the resort as a Mediterranean benchmark for urban renewal.

The resort is home to some of the island’s leading family attractions, including Pirates Adventure, Western Water Park, and Katmandu Park.

Mallorca Live Festival, held on the outskirts of Magaluf, has established itself as one of Europe’s must-visit music festivals. This year, more than 70,000 people attended over three days to see artists including The Prodigy, Kaiser Chiefs, and David Guetta. Next year, the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, with the dates of 11th and 12th June already in the diary.

Sports tourism has also grown significantly, with the state-of-the-art athletics stadium leading the way in welcoming athletes from around the world.

Magaluf still offers a fantastic nightlife; it’s simply become that little bit more sophisticated. BCM has consistently been ranked among the world’s leading nightclubs by DJ Mag and Nightlife International. It focuses heavily on EDM, house, trance, hip-hop, and R&B, and has welcomed world-renowned artists such as Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, and Martin Garrix.

Probably one of the greatest achievements by the local authorities has been the improvements in safety and security. In recent years, the number of complaints during the high season has fallen by around 30% – a steady improvement backed up by Local Police data.

Magaluf has changed and, in my opinion, changed for the better. Granted, it’s not the same resort I first arrived in back in 1990. But times change, and Magaluf has evolved into a high-quality destination that now attracts visitors from the four corners of the world.

Mallorca’s Transformation: From Party Island to Luxury Destination

Mallorca has, without doubt, changed dramatically since I first came here in 1990. The three-star bucket-and-spade, party-island image has become a thing of the past. Personally, I think it’s a positive move, and it shows that we haven’t stood still—we’ve reacted to what the market wants.

The transformation of Magaluf into a “quality over quantity” destination is reflected in recent data. Figures from 2025 provided by the town hall in Calvià suggest that 4- and 5-star hotels now account for 80% of the total hotel beds in the area.

Hotel chains such as Meliá, Iberostar, Fergus, and Zafiro have spent millions upgrading their properties. The quality of the bars, cafés, and restaurants—particularly along the seafronts of both Magaluf and Palma Nova—now, in my opinion, makes it a gastronomic must for people looking to eat out.

The newly built promenade along Magaluf Beach will be finished in May, enhancing one of Mallorca’s already top beaches to an even higher level. Let’s also remember that Nikki Beach, the world-renowned beach club brand, has a venue at the end of that beach.

I interviewed Gary Napier of Street Angels this week on the radio. They are a team of Christian volunteers who patrol the nightlife area of Magaluf, providing care and safety to partygoers during peak season. Gary said that their work has diminished quite dramatically over the last five years—but in a positive way—showing that the resort is changing for the better.

When you look across the island, you can see world-renowned hotel brands investing heavily. These include the soon-to-open Mandarin Oriental Punta Negra, alongside the St. Regis Mardavall in the south of the island; the Four Seasons resort in Formentor in the north; and Belmond La Residencia in Deià, as well as Jumeirah in Port de Sóller in the west.

These are just a few examples of the changes Mallorca is going through. I mentioned last time the huge €560 million investment in Palma Airport, and Palma is now among the top three European destinations for private jet traffic, frequently mentioned alongside Nice and Geneva.

I also read with interest this week that Jet2 has announced the launch of its first-ever business class layout on an aircraft. The aircraft is typically configured with 189 seats, but that has been reduced to 76. They expect it to be popular with their sports, music, entertainment, and specialist group customers, meeting demand for greater privacy and comfort.

The marinas are full of amazing yachts and motor yachts. In fact, as I step out of my apartment by Port Adriano, I can see the 58-metre masts of one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated sailing yachts, Maltese Falcon. The 88-metre (289 ft) superyacht is estimated to be valued at approximately US$75 million to over US$100 million, with annual running costs of US$4–8 million. Owned by Elena Ambrosiadou and built by Perini Navi in 2006, the vessel is renowned for its revolutionary DynaRig sailing system and is available for charter, often listed at approximately €490,000–€580,000 per week.

Through my concierge business, Priority Mallorca, I’m dealing with more and more clients from a wide range of countries. I’ve had enquiries from the United States, Canada, Singapore, Japan, and across Europe. This shows we are attracting more diverse markets—not just UK, German, and Spanish holidaymakers as before.

The more diverse we become, the better it will be for all of us.

Positive Outlook on Mallorca Travel Amid Airline Changes

This was the headline in the Daily Express last week, and I know similar reports were seen over here. I am always a glass-half-full person, not half empty, and when I look at the outlook for travel—particularly here to Mallorca—I am pretty positive.

Michael O’Leary is never shy about saying things that create a headline—and usually, they do. But let’s take that headline into context.

Firstly, in the short term, most airlines’ seat prices are protected by 70% fuel hedging. Airline fuel hedging is a risk-management strategy where airlines use financial contracts to lock in set prices for jet fuel, shielding them from sudden, dramatic increases in oil prices. Because fuel is one of an airline’s largest operating costs, volatile prices make budgeting difficult; hedging turns this volatile expense into a predictable one.

Secondly, you can be sure that Ryanair won’t be cancelling any of its profitable routes. They’ll use this as an opportunity to dispose of any poorly sold flights. Also remember that Mallorca is a two-hour hop from pretty much every European capital city, as it lies in the centre of the Mediterranean. Therefore, fuel consumption will be much lower than, say, flying to the Canaries.

Related to that is the fact that Palma Airport is nearing completion of its redevelopment. It started in 2022 at a cost of €560 million, so that’s four years in total. Surely some of it will soon be out of date considering how long it has taken. If some airlines want to save on fuel costs, they should check their passengers into Gate D99—I’ve never known such a long walk!

Where there might be a more challenging market is in long-haul holidays and flights. But you can be sure that if the American economy starts to be affected, then Trump will have to do something. The UK is the United States’ largest overseas inbound tourism market, contributing roughly 4 to 4.6 million annual visitors and accounting for about 11.7% of all overseas visits. UK visitors often spend heavily on leisure, making it a critical, high-value source market for American tourism.

Quite a few Americans I’ve spoken to are turning on Trump and his methods of governing. His current approval rating is 39.1%, and public sentiment in the States has trended significantly downward in recent weeks, largely driven by dissatisfaction with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and domestic economic pressures.

I personally think Trump has used this war to deflect attention away from the Epstein files, in which he is, without doubt, implicated. I also think he’s been blindsided by the reluctance of NATO countries to join in.

Our petrol prices here in Spain have been reduced due to the cut in VAT, but if this carries on for much longer, not only will petrol rise again—everything else will as well.

With the new tourist season opening this past week, we must stay positive.

Top Sporting Events in Mallorca for 2026


Mallorca’s sporting facilities are second to none. A whole array of sports, including football, tennis, cycling, swimming, and golf, to name just a few, have great places to play and train. Not only that, but we are also starting to attract more and more  prestigious sporting events to the island.

This includes the Mallorca Tennis Championships, a pre-Wimbledon men’s grass-court event. The event will return to Mallorca Country Club from the 20th to the 27th of June, continuing its tradition as the only ATP grass-court tournament in Southern Europe. One of the first confirmed players for 2026 is Australian star Nick Kyrgios, the sometimes controversial but crowd-pleasing player, who will compete in Santa Ponça.

In golf, the 2026 Road to Mallorca (HotelPlanner Tour) features a global schedule spanning 19 countries, beginning in South Africa in January and culminating in the Rolex Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada, Mallorca, from October 29th to November 1st. The tour offers 20 DP World Tour cards to top performers, with the final event featuring a €500,000 prize fund.

One of the events I’m particularly looking forward to is the Women’s World Cup qualifier between Spain and England—the current World Champions versus the current European Champions, or, as it is also known, La Roja v The Lionesses. This will take place at the Son Moix Stadium, the home of Real Mallorca, on Friday, June 5th.

It’s a great opportunity for tourists, expats, and Mallorquins to see two of the most successful teams in the world playing each other.

From a Spanish point of view, three key players in the current squad are from Mallorca.

Catalina “Cata” Coll, a goalkeeper, was born in Pòrtol. She previously played for Sant Marcel, Cide, Marratxí, and Collerense here on the island before being signed by Barcelona and sent out on loan to Sevilla. She is now back at Barcelona and, after recovering from a serious injury, has become Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper. While on the island, she trained at the Pablo Roca goalkeeping school, where my youngest son Jude has also trained with her.

Patri Guijarro, a midfielder, was born in Palma. She played for UD Collerense, and at the age of 17, she joined Barcelona, where she has remained ever since.

Mariona Caldentey, a forward, was born in Felanitx, where she began her career. She then played for Cide and Collerense before joining Barcelona in 2014. After winning numerous titles, she joined Arsenal in 2024.

From a tourist and expat perspective, it will also be a chance to see the England team in action, including Hannah Hampton, Leah Williamson, Keira Walsh, Lauren James, and Chloe Kelly.

Women’s football has never been stronger, and here on the island, it is starting to thrive. More and more teams are emerging, with Atlético Baleares leading the way by competing in the second-highest division in Spain.

It’s disappointing to see that the club hosting this huge game doesn’t actually have a women’s team. Real Mallorca, since being taken over by its American investors, has done some amazing things for the island. Hopefully hosting this game will prove to them that it is time they invested in a female team. 

Tickets for the game will be sold by the RFEF (the Spanish Football Federation) and, at the time of writing, have yet to go on sale.

Real Mallorca’s Coaching Changes: A Turning Point

I’ve kept my powder dry on what’s been happening at Real Mallorca over the last few weeks. I think it had become obvious that the coach, Jagoba Arrasate, had taken the team as far as he could. When he came to the club in July 2024 from Osasuna, he was known as an attacking coach who loved to promote younger players into the team.

He started well enough, and by Christmas that year they’d accumulated enough points to virtually assure their La Liga status for the following season. That was when the wheels started to come off, as the second half of the season was awful. That disappointing form continued into the start of this season, and by Christmas I thought the club would look elsewhere.

However, they continued with some good results at home, notably against Sevilla and Athletic Club, but away they were awful. Arrasate finished his tenure at Real Mallorca with a win rate of approximately 30.9% (21 wins in 68 matches).

His record across all competitions during his time in charge (spanning from July 1, 2024, to his departure on February 23, 2026) was:

Matches: 68

Wins: 21

Draws: 15

Losses: 32

The disappointing part of his tenure was not promoting enough youngsters into the first team. The squad is ageing and needs some young, refreshing talent. The only young player who was successful was Jan Virgili, brought in from Barcelona. It was a shame to see former San Francisco forward Marc Domenech loaned out when backup was needed for Muriqi.

When the club did decide to twist, it was obvious they didn’t have a candidate in place. Luis García Plaza and Kike Sánchez Flores seemed to be the two names in pole position. The only problem was that the club did not want to commit to a contract longer than the end of the season, as if they were relegated budgets would have to be cut.

Out of the blue, Argentine Martín Demichelis appeared. The former Manchester City and Bayern Munich player had played over 50 times for his country and had been coaching in Argentina. He agreed to take the short contract and try to keep Mallorca in La Liga.

Demichelis’ first match was yesterday afternoon, away in Pamplona against Osasuna, a side that had only lost two games at home so far this season. Unbelievably, Mallorca found themselves 0–2 up in a game they dominated. That was until Virgili was sent off in the 73rd minute. Osasuna managed to get two goals back, with the second coming from former Mallorca player Ante Budimir.

In all honesty, if you’d offered Mallorca a draw before the game they would have taken it, but having been 0–2 up it will feel like a loss. The huge plus is the form of Vedat Muriqi, who has scored 18 goals this season so far. Making him the second best scorer in La Liga, 5 goals behind Kilian Mbappe of Real Madrid. 

With 11 games to go, Mallorca lie in the relegation places, but a win could see them climb out. The next game is at home to Espanyol next Sunday at Son Moix, kick-off at 14:00.

I can’t stress enough how important it is for Mallorca to stay up. It’s great for tourism, as people do visit the island to watch football. It’s great for those of us who live here to see teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid play live. And finally, it’s great for youth football here on the island. To have a team playing in La Liga is so aspirational for all of our young footballers.

As they say here in Spain “Si se puede”(yes we can).

Charity Highlights: Our 2025 Christmas Contributions

I trust you all had a good Christmas and enjoyed time with family and friends. At the time of writing, we are between Christmas and New Year, which is always the time of year when you lose all track of days and dates. Why is that? We are preparing to leave for the UK for a quick visit, with my youngest son having to return early for football training.

I wanted to update you on a couple of charity events that we’ve been involved with. A few weeks ago, I interviewed Charlie Quirke, the son of actress Pauline Quirke, who was walking 140 km in five days for Alzheimer’s Research UK. He completed the walk and, to date, has raised an amazing £273,147.00!

The charity wrote:

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much to everyone who sent Charlie a message, shared on social media and donated. He couldn’t have done it without you all. We will be going into 2026 full of hope for the future and hope for a cure.”

One of the main reasons for my return to the radio with Wave Mallorca was to restart our push to help charities on the island and beyond. All the way through the year, we help promote charity events on air, and in June we held our own Radiothon. Another important time of year to help people is at Christmas.

We’d like to thank everyone who helped us along the way.

Everyone who donated money, with special mention to Helen at Martial Arts Mallorca, Mark Millward, and Hooties Golf Society.

All the people who helped us with our raffle — whether you sold or bought tickets or donated a prize.

The three auction prize donors and the people who won them.

Nice Price and Eroski Bendinat, who allowed us to carry out food collections outside their shops. Nick from Yachting Gives Back for organising it, and the volunteers who gave up their time to help us.

We managed to fill a van and a car full of food for the homeless.

Quentin Theander from Mallorca Christmas Trees donated two Christmas trees to Llar Kurt and Llar Inge, who look after homeless people. 

The three charities that we helped in different ways were Yachting Gives Back, Fundación Nazaret, and SOS Animal Mallorca.

Nick from Yachting Gives Back said:

“Many thanks from all of us at YGB to all the team at Wave Mallorca and all your generous listeners and sponsors for your great support. The money raised will fund several of the monthly shopping trips we do for our chosen local charities.

Merry Christmas!”

Guillem from Fundación Nazaret said:

“Very good morning, and thousands of thanks to all the listeners for the vouchers for all the children and young people of Nazaret, but especially super thanks for remembering them. That makes them feel that they are important to someone, despite not being able to enjoy Christmas with their families. For all this, thank you very much and happy holidays!”

Maxi from SOS Animal Mallorca said:

“Thank you so much for your initiative to help the animals of SOS Animal, and also to your listeners. With the food donation, our cats and dogs will also have a Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks a lot to all of you, and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

Thanks again to everyone who helped us. We look forward to 2026 with even more enthusiasm to help more people both here and beyond.