Spanish second division club Elche have banned the sale and consumption of sunflower seeds inside their stadium.
Sunflower seeds, known as ‘pipas’ in Spanish, are a popular snack in Spain and are traditionally eaten during soccer matches by supporters.
However, the eating of shelled sunflower seeds requires fans to crack the shells open with their teeth and subsequently spit them out, with many being discarded on the ground.
In banning the salted snack from their Manuel Martinez Valero stadium, Elche say the discarded shells clog the pipes of their drainage system, deteriorates the seats, “significantly increases” cleaning and maintenance costs, while they “attract infestations of rats and pigeons”.
Sunflower seeds are a popular snack at Spanish soccer stadiums (Santi Burgos/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The club say that the accumulation of seeds on the ground erodes the concrete and “the accumulation of debris in areas that are hard to reach”.
Elche argue that the move to ban the snack demonstrates their commitment to sustainability as they seek to make their stadium an “example of civility, respect, cleanliness, and pride for our club”.
They are not the first Spanish club to take action against the snack.
In 2023, Valencia announced they would no longer sell sunflower seeds in the stadium and pleaded with any fans bringing them to the game to bring their own bags in which to place the discarded shells.
Valencia said the seeds encourage rodents to enter the stadium and that the machines required to clean up the shells were causing noise pollution for those living close to their Mestalla stadium.
(Top photo: Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)