The voting period for the 5th annual Barça Players Awards kicked off this Monday. The awards, which are sponsored by the Barça Players Association and Estrella Damm, are given to the FC Barcelona players who displayed the best Fair Play throughout the 2013/14 season.

Anyone can vote for the favorite candidate through June 19 by visiting the Barça Players Association Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FCBJugadors). After the voting process closes, the jury – composed of individuals from different institutions and journalists – will convene and name the winner of the award.

This year a commercial spot was made at La Masia in which five Barça former players took part: José Maria Bakero, Gaizka Mendieta, Tete Sánchez, Robert Fernández and Thomas Christiansen.

All participants in the vote will be entered into a drawing for a trip for two with the first team to a league or Cup match in the 2014/15 season.

The new Barça goalkeeper for the 2014/15 season, Marc-André ter Stegen, will not begin his career in Barcelona alone. On digital platforms, the German goalkeeper has almost  200,000 followers  on his official Facebook page which is updated periodically.

Ter Stegen always used German on this network until Monday, when it was confirmed that he had joined Barça. Since then he has written in German and also English and Spanish, in a gesture of integration on his new destination. The presence of Ter Stegen on Facebook adds to the list of around 15 first team players that are present on Facebook, headed up by Leo Messi, with almost 57 million fans.

Barça, global leader

At an institutional level, FC Barcelona currently has 122 million fans on the different official social profiles, plus 20 million more on the mobile platforms, LINE and BlackBerry Messenger. Barça is the most followed sporting organization at the 2.0 level. During the 2013/14 season, the Club accumulated over 53 million new fans, consolidating its world leadership in the digital arena

Follow Barça On social networks

The President of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has been appointed to the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council until its current mandate expires in 2015.  The appointment was made during a meeting of the ECA (European Club Association) in Lisbon, coinciding with the Champions League final.

As a member of the UEFA Professional Football Strategy Council, Josep Maria Bartomeu will also sit on the Executive Council of the ECA.  Mr Bartomeu takes over these roles in place of former FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, who gave up his responsibilities at the beginning of this year following his resignation as president of FC Barcelona.

The appointment confirms the presence of FC Barcelona on one of the most representative and strategic bodies in European football.

The Board of Directors named Pau Vilanova as a new Director of the Social Area. The new director will take charge of the Supporters Clubs.

Pau Vilanova Vila-Abadal (Barcelona 1964) is married and is a father to four children. He’s a designer and works manager with a degree from the Applied and Artistic Arts School of Llotja and a masters from the University of Copenhagen. He has directed the Pau Vilanova business since 2008 after a 20-year career at Jordi Vilanova Design.

His past work includes projects with Nissen & Gehl in Copenhagen and he sat on the boards of FAD, ADIFAD, ARQUINFAD, and was BEDA’s representative in Spain.

Vilanova also has a long track record of service to FC Barcelona. From 2003 to 2005 he was part of the Social Commission and since 2010, he chaired the Social Commission – a post given to him by Sandro Rosell, who won the elections that year – which makes him one of the men at the Club with the most experience with Supporters Clubs.
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“I’m very excited to be named to the post, and at the same time I’m committed to the responsibility that comes with being on the Board. I take the job of director with the knowledge that this was possible thanks to the great collective work done by the Supporters Clubs movement, one of the aspects that makes this Club unique. I want to thank my fellow Board members, and especially Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu and vice-president Jordi Cardoner for their confidence in me,” said Vilanova.

From Wednesday and until mid-August, the first tier of the stadium is to be converted into the Camp Nou Lounge, a space where visitors can enjoy quality cuisine like never before: with a privileged panoramic view of the ground. This is just one of the many new attractions that FC Barcelona has prepared so that people visiting the Club this summer can enjoy the most complete leisure and catering experience possible.

Visitors that select this option can take a break from their exploration of the Camp Nou Experience and enjoy the sensation of the tranquillity of the Camp Nou terraces when no match is being played while choosing from a select offer of food and beverages.

Gastronomic offer

In this space, apart from Estrella Damm beer, visitors can enjoy other specialist beers such as AK Damm (100% malt beer), Weiss Damm (corn beer), Inedit (beer created in collaboration with Ferran Adrià and the team from El Bulli) and Bock Damm (Munich-style black beer), as well as delicious hot and cold tapas, desserts and ice creams. Those who want to stay longer and enjoy a full meal can also do so. The Camp Nou Lounge offers a gourmet menu with drink-tasting including five dishes, two desserts and seven different types of beer.

FC Barcelona continues to lead the way on social media and consolidate its top position across the world’s various social networks. The Club has more than 65 million fans at its official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/fcbarcelona ) and football is now present on the Facebook Messenger thanks to Barça’s exclusive images to add into fans’ conversations.

 16 Barça players stickers

Members and fans can now start using the 16 free stickers available for their conversations on Facebook Messanger. The stickers show images of players such as Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Neymar, Piqué, Cesc, Alves and Alexis in various different situations to illustrate a wide range of emotions.

 "A demonstration of Barça’s 2.0 leadership”

Didac Lee, the Club’s Media and Communication Director, with special responsibility for New Tecnhnolligies believes: “this agreement with Facebook illustrates the Club’s leadership in the 2.0 area and our connection to the world’s leading technology companies. The news around the Club generates millions of messages everyday on the social networks and now our fans all over the world can enrich their conversations on Facebook Messenger with these stickers of our first team players”.

The stickers are available for free, both for Facebook Messenger and Home Screen, to all the 1,200 million Facebook users from the Sticker Store. The stickers can also be used on Facebook via a smartphone.

Download it!

A look back at events at FC barcelona during the month of May 2014.

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The videos

Carles Puyol, Halilovic, Piqué, the Spanish World Cup squad, Pau Vilanova and the Handball team in Europe made the headlines at the Club this week.

• Carles Puyol, joins up with Zubi: The ex-captain will be joining Andoni Zubizarreta’s  Football Area from September.

• Halilovic signs a five year contract . The young Croat will begin his Barça career with the B team.

• Gerard Piqué extends contract till 2019. Speaking to Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat, Piqué expressed his excitement at the appointment of Luis Enrique as new coach.

• Deulofeu: “I’m happy to be back home”. The young Barça player spole to the press after his call up for Spain.

• Pre-season to start on July 14 The players on World Cup duty wil be reporting baclk later in the summer.

• Gerard Deulofeu makes full debut with Spain. Friday’s friendly against Bolivia saw the young winger make his full debut. Andres Iniesta scored the second goal in the 2-0 win.

• Seven players called up by Del Bosque for Brazil: Spain’s squad to defend their title in Brazil was named on Saturday and Sergio Busquets, Piqué, Jordi Alba, Cesc, Xavi, Iniesta and Pedro are all on their way to the World Cup.

• Handball team crash out in European semi-final . Xavi Pascual’s side lost on penalties to the German team Flensburg.

• Barça’s basketball are through to the Endesa Leaghue semi-finals after beating  Laboral Kutxa 2-0 in their playoff series. Barça won  92 - 87 at the Palau on Thursday and  71-95 in Vitoria Gasteiz on Saturday.

• Roller hockey team receive title at the Palau they won a few weeks ago before beating Moritz Vendrell 5-1

• Ricky Rubio speaks to BarçaTV at the Palau about the Barça-Laboral Kutxa game and the NBA.

• Pau Vilanova, new FC Barcelona Director  

• Wilde renews contract for another season with Barça Alusport,

FC Barcelona announced the addition of Albert Soler Sicilia (Barcelona, 1966) to its executive structure. Mr Soler is now the Club’s director of sporting institutional relations at FC Barcelona.

Albert Soler has a masters in government and public policy from ESADE and the University of Barcelona and he’s licensed from INEF of Barcelona in physical and athletic sciences, with a focus on athletic management.

He was secretary of State of Sports and president of the Superior Council of Sports from May 2008 to December of 2011. He is currently a member of the Congress in Barcelona, a position he will step down from in the coming days

The naming of Albert Soler to the post of director of sporting institutional relations is part of the Club’s goal of professionalizing strategic areas of the institution.
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“I am very thankful and excited for this challenge to be part of the team at FC Barcelona. Barça’s dynamic reach goes beyond sports, it’s a collective feeling, and being part of that is a privilege. I will use all of my experience and knowledge to work alongside (my colleagues) in order to make Barça better each day,” said Soler.

Jordi Moix attended The Stadium Business Summit 2014, an annual conference that focuses on stadiums and arenas, this afternoon in London. The director explained what the new Espai Barça at an exposition called ‘Transforming the Camp Nou.’

“It’s a big project, it will be the most important sports project in Europe and the world. No other club have 20 hectares in the center of a big city and can build this kind of project. Barça’s installations will be completely integrated into the neighborhood of Les Corts and it will be in the center of the beautiful city of Barcelona,” said Moix to an interested audience.

The director went on to say that the Club will begin construction on the stadium in 2017 and finish in 2021. Moix highlighted the plans to completely overhaul the Camp Nou and make it a next-generation stadium. He also talked about the construction of the new Palau, which will see its capacity increased to 12,000, a new arena, a new ice rink, now commercial areas, new offices and 5,000 additional parking spaces.

The Camp Nou Lounge, a space that offers great quality cuisine with privileged views of the Stadium, opened last week, and is already a total success as more than 2,000 people have already visited it. This proposal is part of the new program that FC Barcelona has prepared so that everyone who visits the Club this summer, via the Camp Nou Experience, can enjoy an entertainment and dining experience with a select range of food and drinks in a unique setting. For those who have not ever take part in the Camp Nou Experience it’s a good time to enjoy it even more.

During this first week, many visitors from 15 different countries have enjoyed this space and have been able to taste a selection of products like vermouth, hot tapas, grilled dishes, desserts, and a variety of specialty Damm beers. It also offers a special tasting menu with speciality beers that is becoming very popular with the public.

An interesting fact is that the products most requested during the first few days were the 'FCB Patatas Bravas' and olives, of which have been sold more than 40 kilos. Also, the drink most requested so far has been the Estrella Damm beer on tap

We remind everyone that the Camp Nou Lounge, located on the first tier of the Main Stand at the Stadium, will be operational until mid-August, from Monday to Sunday, from 9a.m. to 7.30p.m.

This is what the Ciutatat Esportiva Joan Gamper,  in Sant Joan Despi , looks like from another perspective. It is the nerve center of the first team training sessions, as well as the training centre for all the FC Barcelona academy teams.

Bringing together the world of football and classic pinball was the idea behind the very latest FC Barcelona digital app, FCB Pinball. Its features a 3D pinball machine starring the Barça players, in which the players have to complete missions related with the first team, including special moves in attack and defence, as well as set pieces.

FCB Pinball was developed by Legendo Entertaintment using a made-to-measure 3D graphics engine that digitally simulates the complex movements of the iconic silver ball.

FCB Pinball is available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices in the App Store for just 2.69 euros. Any members and fans can now start competing not only for hi-scores, but also against friends all around the planet in the world rankings that appear in the Apple Game Center.

DOWNLOAD FCB PINBALL

“We have a road map, it’s very clear and we follow it carefully,” said Josep Maria Bartomeu during the Senate meeting held this Wednesday morning. “We will not work towards goals that have been set for us by those outside the Club, and we won’t seek short-term solutions. That would be very irresponsible,” he declared.

Bartomeu explained that he wants to complete “the term of president until the end of the mandate” because that “would bring stability to the Club.” He added: “I am grateful to my colleagues on the board for all of their confidence and I want to reiterate once more that we continue to believe in the project we outlined in 2010, it still excites us, now more than ever.”
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The president of FC Barcelona indicated that the way in which the Club is managed will be guided by “effort, transparency and honesty, with the utmost rigor and dedication. Don’t expect flashy leadership or overacted decisions. We don’t like to work that way and we don’t know how to work that way.”

He added: “Our way of leading the Club will always be guided by respect, closeness to the Club and its members, and looking for excellence in every area of the institution: athletically, socially, and economically.”

The president went on to say that “we have to recognise that the season hasn’t been a good one when it comes to trophies. We didn’t reach the goals we set for ourselves.” But despite the disappointing season, the president is optimistic about the future: “We are at a decisive moment in which we can build a new Barça, a team that I assure you will once again excite fans, a team that will make all barcelonistas proud.” The president went on to say that Luis Enrique “is clearly capable of undertaking this project, and will lead us to success and bring the type of football that we all want to see.”
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The economic viability of the Club is crucial for the sporting changes that the Board hopes to put in place and, according to Bartomeu, will allow the Club “to face a restructuring of the roster that guarantees athletic excellence.” He added: “We will once again surpass 500 million euros in revenue. We expect to stay within budget and we will close out the fiscal year with approximately 30 million euros in profit after taxes. Our Club is economically strong.”

FC Barcelona and the Suning Company have announced a sponsorship agreement today that makes China’s biggest retail chain for electronic and technology goods the Club’s first ever Chinese sponsor. Today’s presentation of the  two years with an option top one more agreement in the Chinese city of Nanjing was attended by the Director General of FC Barcelona, Antoni Rossich, the Vice-president of the Suning Group, Sun Weiming and his executive vice-president, Li Bin.

Suning thus becomes the first Chinese sponsor in FC Barcelona history. More than a mere sponsorship agreement, however, it is a strategic partnership that also involves a series of social and sporting projects. These include the promotion of sport among young Chinese people. In addition to typical benefits in such areas as marketing, image association rights and digital assets, Suning is planning to set up football camps and tournaments to foster the game in different Chinese cities. The winners of these competitions will enter a draw to win a trip to Barcelona to visit the Club and meet the first team players.

This is not the first time that Suning has been involved in promoting sport. The company has always been one of the Chinese Government’s closest allies in campaigns to promote sport at schools. Suning was a main sponsor of the Youth Olympic Games, the IOC’s event for athletes aged between 14 and 18 years, the second edition of which is being hosted this year by the city of Nanjing.

Another important aspect of this deal is directly aimed at fans. The agreement makes Suning an official partner of FC Barcelona’s fan base in China. Among other projects, this will involve the launch of a Barça microsite on the official Suning website, designed to be the meeting point for FCB supporters around the country. Fans will also be able to use this channel to purchase top quality Barça branded sports products.

Suning, Commercial leader in China

Suning Commerce, founded in 1990 in the city of Nanjing, China, and with a staff of 180,000 is one of the biggest privately-owned commercial retail companies in the country. In July 2004, Suning was listed for the first time on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and its market value is among the highest in the world for its sector. For further information about Suning, see: http://www.suning.cn

Statements from the Director General of FC Barcelona, Antoni Rossich, and the vice-president of the Suning Group, Sun Weiming

Rossich: “It’s a big step closer to our Chinese fans”

“I would like to express my gratitude and excitement that Suning has become the first Chinese sponsor in FC Barcelona history. Personally, I am convinced that the partnership between Suning and FC Barcelona is a big step forward for the Club and brings us closer to our Chinese fans, creating successful synergies between the two organisations”.

Weiming: “La Masia fits perfectly with Suning’s innovative strategy”

“Barça has until now been one of the most successful football clubs in Europe and the world, and is the flagship team for class and skill. Its youth training system has produced global stars like Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, and has created the Masia brand. This fits perfectly with Suning’s strategic concept of transforming high technology, focused on innovative retail methods and corporate culture”.

Since being launched last March 26, and in less than three months, FC Barcelona now has more than one million followers on Sina Weibo (actually more than 1,100,000), one of the most popular social networks in China, thus reinforcing the Club’s intention to use online strategies to develop its Asian market.

As well as accessing news, photo galleries and videos, Chinese users are also able to use Sina Weibo to participate in different campaigns launched by the Club, which have included honouring Puyol on his retirement and a very special and significant photography competition, for which the prizes were the shirts bearing the horse symbol that the players wore against Valencia in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Since early 2014, FC Barcelona has sought to expand its presence in China by means of its official Sina profile, which complements the one that it already has on Tencent Weibo, the other microblogging giant in China, where the Club has already accumulated 3.18 million followers since first using the platform in 2011.

Its presence on Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo has boosted FC Barcelona’s position as the leading Liga club in Chinese social networks. The Barça website is also available in Chinese (http://fcbarcelona.qq.com), ensuring that fans all around the country are able to receive real-time updates about everything that is happening at the Club.

Barça expanding in China

Dídac Lee, director of Media and Communications, as well as New Technologies, has commented that “Sina Weibo is a social network used by 30% of China’s Internet users, a very similar percentage to Twitter’s in the United States … Being there means another step forward in Barça’s expansion in China and a new channel for bringing the Club closer to the Asian continent”.

Through social networks, Barça offers exclusive, top quality contents that keep users up to date with all of the latest happenings involving their favourite team.

This afternoon FC Barcelona hosted an ample and select group of of media representatives who have gathered in Barcelona for the annual Global Editors Network (GEN) conference. The Camp Nou was the meeting place for this afternoon’s gathering, and President Josep Maria Bartomeu was in attendance.

Bartomeu welcomed the 500 journalists, and said, “We, FC Barcelona, need to be transparent, honest, competitive and have confidence, just like the press. Football is a mix of emotions and business. That’s why we have to be responsible and transparency is essential. Sports needs good journalism.”

GEN is a non-governmental organization, and its president is Ricardo Kirschbaum, chief editor of the Clarín group in Argentina. The 24 members who form the Board of Directors come from some of the most important media outlets in the world, like the BBC, CNN, El País, Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung, The Guardian and India Today, among others.

The GEN Summit is an annual event celebrated by this community of editors. This year the Summit is in Barcelona, and its purpose is to provide a place for editors to share experiences and passion for good journalism.

Agreement with Chelsea for the services of Cesc Fàbregas. The Catalan will join the London-based team after three seasons in the FC Barcelona strip. In a goodbye letter, Cesc thanked the fans and the Club for the support he’s received these past three year and he explained his decision to leave for the Premier League.

The first team will play a friendly on August 2 in Nice. The men managed by Luis Enrique will face off against OGC Nice, a Ligue 1 team, at the Allianz Riviera.

Neymar, the first player to grab the headlines in Brazil. On Thursday he scored two goal in the inaugural match between Brazil and Croatia (3-1).

Spain were hammered in their World Cup debut, against the Netherlands (1-5). Piqué, Sergio, Jordi Alba, Xavi and Iniesta started the match, while Pedro came off the bench in the second half.

Alexis, playing for Chile, and Song, with Cameroon, are two more Barça players who made their 2014 World Cup debut. The Chilean, with a goal and an assist, defeated Australia (3-1), while the Cameroonian national team were defeat by Mexico (1-0).

Behind the scenes of the meeting between Deulofeu and Rafinha. A couple of days ago the two Barça players were at the Camp Nou, where they tried on the new Barça kits, shared some time in the dressing room, and reacquainted themselves with their old home.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu met with the FC Barcelona Senate on Wednesday. In his address he talked about the future of the Club. He said: “We have a roadmap, it’s clear and we follow it closely.”

Suning becomes the first Chinese sponsor of FC Barcelona.

Gudjón Valur Sigurdsson becomes the first addition to the handball team ahead of the 2014/15 season. “My objective is to win the Champions League,” he said.

Rafa Usín becomes a new Barça Alusport player. “I couldn’t have gone to a better team,” he said.

The World Cup in Brazil is being followed intensely not only in the stadiums but all around the world. And in many cases, the passion for the participating teams goes hand in hand with a love for the FC Barcelona colours.

Barça has twelve players at this year’s edition representing five teams that will be appearing in ten of the different stadiums around Brazil. It all means that there are plenty of reasons for FC Barcelona fans to get excited about the competition.

Here at FC Barcelona, we want you to get behind your team and show the Barça colours as you follow the Brazil 2014 World Cup. And wherever you are in the world, you can share your pictures using the hastag #BrasilFCB.

The best photos will be published on the Club website and social networks as we send out a Barça message to the world.