When Barcelona players walk on to the pitch at the Nou Camp in their famous blue and claret strip, they are representing not just a club but a way of life.
They and their fans throughout Spain and the rest of the world hold values dear to their hearts. Fortitude, loyalty, freedom, the right of choice and speech, determination, principles and passion.
But these are not manufactured ethics. These have been earned over more than 100 years of distinguished history. A history which has seen near bankruptcy, the suicide of one of its most influential presidents, a fight to retain its name, the murder of a leading protagonist and even a Fascist bomb. All this from humble beginnings and a tiny advertisement in a sporting newspaper which laid the foundations for a proud future.
Today, Barcelona is one of the most famous football clubs on the planet. It’s estimated that one in four Spanish residents support the team which became a symbol of anti-dictatorship following the country’s harsh years under the forceful rule of Primo de Rivera and Franco.
Barcelona has always shunned the norm and became the first team to refuse shirt sponsorship despite the offer of huge sums of money from household names. Instead, in 2006, the club signed a five year agreement which sees UNICEF receiving nearly two million dollars each year towards its work. It may be one of the richest clubs ever but Barcelona FC has never forgotten its humble roots and the fight to survive and prosper.
The man who started the football club in Barcelona was actually from Switzerland. Businessman Hans (Joan) Gamper, born in 1877, was an avid sports enthusiast. He put a note in a local magazine in 1899 calling for players. Just one month later, he was presiding over the club’s inaugural meeting. Englishman Gualteri Wild became the first president and their very first game was against some ex-Pats who scored the only goal (with a little help from some Barcelona players!)
Barcelona’s famous and imposing Nou Camp is probably as well-known as the team but playing life actually started in the grounds of a number of hotels. However, their first official ground in 1909 made history, having a capacity of 6,000 with a two-tier stand, unique in those early days.
By this time, Barcelona were already winning titles and cups, including the Catalan Championships and the Spanish Championships year after year.
Founder Gamper, who also played for the club as a prolific striker, became president of the club in 1908 to save it from financial disaster. He was to serve as president five times in all up to 1925 and did not deserve his sad end as he committed suicide in 1930 because of business and political pressures.
The years between 1919 and 1929 was a golden age decade for Barcelona, despite huge political difficulties. In 1922, they moved to their new Les Corts ground which became known as “the cathedral of football”.
Much of Barcelona’s history is directly linked to the Fascist reign of Spain which was to haunt them even into the 1970s and it’s said that many supporters joined the club as a way of expressing their disgust at the supremacy, rather than become members of direct political groups. In 1925, the crowd even jeered the Spanish National Anthem and Gamper was forced to resign, contributing to his tragic demise.
In the 1930s, the regime ordered the closure of Les Corts and it was used as a type of military camp during the civil war. Barcelona’s president Josep Sunol was also murdered by Franco’s soldiers and, in 1938, a fascist bomb was dropped on the social club. Franco even ordered the club to change its Catalan name to the more Spanish Club de Futbol Barcelona, a move which was finally reversed in 1970.
Through it all, Barcelona stood strong and earned the respect of millions of Spaniards who shared the same ethics but were not at liberty to speak out. Today, there is still great rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid who were seen as favourites in the Fascist regime. It is one of the reasons why one of their most famous managers, Johan Cruyff was so revered. He said he opted for Barcelona over Real Madrid and even chose a traditional Catalan name, Jordi for his son.
Cruyff is just one of the famous names associated with Barcelona who celebrated the opening of their incredible Nou Camp stadium in 1959. It holds 90,000 spectators and is regarded as one of the best in the world. Walking down its famous steps is said to take your breath away. Great names associated with the club include Gary Lineker, Maradona, Ronaldinho, Efo, Figo, Kluivert, Rivaldo, Simatoz, Schuster and Alberto as players and Terry Venables, Rijkaard and Bobby Robson as managers.
Barcelona have had periods of massive success but lulls too yet the trophy cabinet at the Nou Camp is packed to the brim with silver-ware. They have won virtually everything there is to be won in football, including the La Liga title, the Spanish Cup, the Super Cup, the League Cup, the European Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the Super Cup. Barcelona are just one of three teams never to have been relegated from La Liga and are the second most successful club in Spanish football. One of their greatest nights was winning their first European Cup at Wembley in 1992 and their support at the UEFA Champions League final in Rome on May 27, 2009 was just incredible.
Throughout it all, the peaks and troughs, the triumphs and the defeats, membership of Barcelona has continued to grow as millions of fans agree it is so much more than just a club. Mes que un club. It’s a living legend.
They and their fans throughout Spain and the rest of the world hold values dear to their hearts. Fortitude, loyalty, freedom, the right of choice and speech, determination, principles and passion.
But these are not manufactured ethics. These have been earned over more than 100 years of distinguished history. A history which has seen near bankruptcy, the suicide of one of its most influential presidents, a fight to retain its name, the murder of a leading protagonist and even a Fascist bomb. All this from humble beginnings and a tiny advertisement in a sporting newspaper which laid the foundations for a proud future.
Today, Barcelona is one of the most famous football clubs on the planet. It’s estimated that one in four Spanish residents support the team which became a symbol of anti-dictatorship following the country’s harsh years under the forceful rule of Primo de Rivera and Franco.
Barcelona has always shunned the norm and became the first team to refuse shirt sponsorship despite the offer of huge sums of money from household names. Instead, in 2006, the club signed a five year agreement which sees UNICEF receiving nearly two million dollars each year towards its work. It may be one of the richest clubs ever but Barcelona FC has never forgotten its humble roots and the fight to survive and prosper.
The man who started the football club in Barcelona was actually from Switzerland. Businessman Hans (Joan) Gamper, born in 1877, was an avid sports enthusiast. He put a note in a local magazine in 1899 calling for players. Just one month later, he was presiding over the club’s inaugural meeting. Englishman Gualteri Wild became the first president and their very first game was against some ex-Pats who scored the only goal (with a little help from some Barcelona players!)
Barcelona’s famous and imposing Nou Camp is probably as well-known as the team but playing life actually started in the grounds of a number of hotels. However, their first official ground in 1909 made history, having a capacity of 6,000 with a two-tier stand, unique in those early days.
By this time, Barcelona were already winning titles and cups, including the Catalan Championships and the Spanish Championships year after year.
Founder Gamper, who also played for the club as a prolific striker, became president of the club in 1908 to save it from financial disaster. He was to serve as president five times in all up to 1925 and did not deserve his sad end as he committed suicide in 1930 because of business and political pressures.
The years between 1919 and 1929 was a golden age decade for Barcelona, despite huge political difficulties. In 1922, they moved to their new Les Corts ground which became known as “the cathedral of football”.
Much of Barcelona’s history is directly linked to the Fascist reign of Spain which was to haunt them even into the 1970s and it’s said that many supporters joined the club as a way of expressing their disgust at the supremacy, rather than become members of direct political groups. In 1925, the crowd even jeered the Spanish National Anthem and Gamper was forced to resign, contributing to his tragic demise.
In the 1930s, the regime ordered the closure of Les Corts and it was used as a type of military camp during the civil war. Barcelona’s president Josep Sunol was also murdered by Franco’s soldiers and, in 1938, a fascist bomb was dropped on the social club. Franco even ordered the club to change its Catalan name to the more Spanish Club de Futbol Barcelona, a move which was finally reversed in 1970.
Through it all, Barcelona stood strong and earned the respect of millions of Spaniards who shared the same ethics but were not at liberty to speak out. Today, there is still great rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid who were seen as favourites in the Fascist regime. It is one of the reasons why one of their most famous managers, Johan Cruyff was so revered. He said he opted for Barcelona over Real Madrid and even chose a traditional Catalan name, Jordi for his son.
Cruyff is just one of the famous names associated with Barcelona who celebrated the opening of their incredible Nou Camp stadium in 1959. It holds 90,000 spectators and is regarded as one of the best in the world. Walking down its famous steps is said to take your breath away. Great names associated with the club include Gary Lineker, Maradona, Ronaldinho, Efo, Figo, Kluivert, Rivaldo, Simatoz, Schuster and Alberto as players and Terry Venables, Rijkaard and Bobby Robson as managers.
Barcelona have had periods of massive success but lulls too yet the trophy cabinet at the Nou Camp is packed to the brim with silver-ware. They have won virtually everything there is to be won in football, including the La Liga title, the Spanish Cup, the Super Cup, the League Cup, the European Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the Super Cup. Barcelona are just one of three teams never to have been relegated from La Liga and are the second most successful club in Spanish football. One of their greatest nights was winning their first European Cup at Wembley in 1992 and their support at the UEFA Champions League final in Rome on May 27, 2009 was just incredible.
Throughout it all, the peaks and troughs, the triumphs and the defeats, membership of Barcelona has continued to grow as millions of fans agree it is so much more than just a club. Mes que un club. It’s a living legend.
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