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FCbarcelona.com wins 'Champions League of Websites'

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This year Barça scored 97 out of 100, giving them their second such distinction after winning in the 2012/13
A study by the Departamento de Internet (DI) ranks Barça's official website number one out of teams participating in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League With 97 points out of a possible 100, fcbarcelona.com beats out the official websites of Arsenal, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid

For the fifth consecutive year the company Departamento de Internet (DI) has published a ranking of the best websites of teams competing in the UEFA Champions League. In this edition, FC Barcelona has the best online platform of the 32 teams involved in the 2015/16 Champions League, ahead of websites from teams like Arsenal, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. This year Barça scored 97 out of 100, giving them their second such distinction after winning in the 2012/13. The study underlines the importance of having a corporate website which is up to the best competition in European football.

The ranking of the websites of the participating teams in the UEFA Champions League is established objectively according to criteria such as design, multimedia elements, adaptability on different devices, page structure and navigation, language and writing, the ease of buying tickets, the use of social networks, and user services.

Each of the variables analysed have a relative importance in the final assessment, represented by a specific percentage, with 100 as the highest score.

RANKING

A recognized model, perpetually improving

The FC Barcelona website was highlighted, among other things, as a website with a clear focus on the user, easy to use navigation and structure, a polished look & feel with an excellent and responsive design, optimal use of social networks, and a functional platform for buying tickets..

This recognition comes at a time when the FC Barcelona is working to provide new features and improvements to its web platform. In the middle of last season some changes were made in the site’s design and in the coming months they will be completed with a series of improvements on usability and services for members and supporters worldwide.

Recently, the prestigious American magazine Adweek put FC Barcelona at the top of their world ranking in terms of creation of online sports content oriented towards social networks. The study puts the Club ahead of sports information powerhouses like Real Madrid and the NBA, among others.

Website in nine languages

In recent seasons FC Barcelona has consolidated its model through a web platform available in nine different languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, Chinese, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese and Arabic. The website has a clear commitment to glocalisation (a blend of globalisation and localisation) — providing global content but aimed at different regional audiences to highlight peculiarities of each area.

FC Barcelona’s digital platform is increasingly referred to the best in the sports world. This recognition of the Club's website is also closely linked with the club's leadership in the area of social networking.


LIVE - Presentation of campaign to help the refugees who have arrived in Europe

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Club Vice President Jordi Cardoner / FCB ARCHIVE
LIVE - Presentation of campaign to help the refugees who have arrived in Europe

This Friday at 12.00pm CET in the Ricard Maxenchs Press Room at Camp Nou, FC Barcelona is presenting its campaign to aid the refugees arriving in Europe, an initiative driven by the Club through its Social Area and Foundation, and in collaboration with the Red Cross. Attending the event will be FC Barcelona Vice President Jordi Cardoner.

The launch of the campaign will coincide with Sunday's La Liga match at Camp Nou between FC Barcelona and Levante.

Jordi Cardoner extols virtues of refugee aid campaign

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Vice President Jordi Cardoner (middle) with Josep Quitet and Enric Morist of the Red Cross. / GERMÁN PARGA-FCB
Club Vice President calls for maximum participation at press conference unveiling campaign to help refugees arriving to Europe

FC Barcelona unveiled Friday their campaign to aid the refugees arriving in Europe, explained by first Vice President Jordi Cardoner. "The idea is for this project to have the collaboration of everyone in the Barça family," he declared," while adding that "this is not a single act but rather continuous action over time, which is something that differentiates us as a club."

Friday's press conference was held in the Ricard Maxenchs press room, where Cardoner explained that the project will be implemented "through our partners the Red Cross in Catalonia, which will help us make this FC Barcelona Foundation project a success. We also appreciate the cooperation of the City of Barcelona and the Government of Catalonia."

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According to Cardoner, there are "three basic objectives [to the campaign]: fundraising, the integration of these people who are in deplorable situations into our society and, finally, to increase awareness.”

He explained: “The more money raised the better. But equally important is the number of people who participate. This makes us different as a club, and we want everyone to get involved in this campaign in whatever way they can. This project is worth it."

It should be understood what an awareness campaign of this kind represents

FC Barcelona presents campaign to aid refugees in Europe

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English Campaign Refugees
Vice President Jordi Cardoner explains how the FCB Foundation and the Red Cross will raise funds, increase awareness and help the new arrivals integrate into society

FC Barcelona, faithful to its historic vocation of solidarity and commitment to society, especially with regard to disadvantaged children, has mobilised its forces in response to the worst migrant crisis facing Europe since the Second World War. Club Vice President Jordi Cardoner presented on Friday the ‘Tant se val d’on venim’ campaign — the phrase means 'It doesn't matter where we come from' and is a prominent line from the lyrics of the Barça anthem — to aid the refugees arriving in Europe and the more than 3,000 people that will arrive in Catalonia, according to government officials, in the coming months.

This campaign is in partnership with the Red Cross, an international body with expertise in managing migrant crises and which will be the beneficiary of the funds collected. The start of the campaign will be on Sunday 20 September, coinciding with the league match against Levante, and will last until January.

All areas of the Club have joined in this campaign of solidarity, which has three main objectives: fundraising, increasing awareness and social integration of those affected, especially those suffering due to armed conflicts in the Middle East, Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

FC Barcelona wants to involve everyone, from members, fans and supporters to its athletes and coaches, as well as sponsors and suppliers, to help raise the financial resources needed and make donations to the Red Cross that attend to the needs of the refugees.

These donations can be made online through the FC Barcelona website, www.fcbarcelona.com/fcbrefugees, where donors will have to fill out a form and can donate via credit or debit card.

Other ways to make financial contributions will be in person via special donation points located in different parts of the stadium area — official shops, offices, the ice rink, lockers, the Foundation, the Museum and the Supporters Services Office (OAB). On match days at Camp Nou, donation points will also be installed at the entrances to the Palau and Miniestadi.

To raise awareness, the Club has involved its athletes to help bring attention to the importance of finding solutions to help alleviate the plight of the refugees. The Club has developed a special photographic campaign and a microsite on the club website to spread the messages of the Club's team captains, who have recorded videos in support of the refugees that will be distributed through the media, social networks and the video scoreboards at Camp Nou, the Palau and the Mini Estadi.

FC Barcelona has historically been a vehicle of integration for newcomers. Supporters Clubs, located throughout the territory, will be essential to carrying out the task of helping refugees adapt to our society. Barça will work with the Confederation of Supporters Clubs to organise actions to facilitate the integration of refugees.

The funds obtained from donations will go to local and international programs to aid those affected by this crisis.

All persons wishing to make a donation and who would like a tax certificate can request it from the Foundation via email: fundació@fcbarcelona.cat.

Join the campaign to help the refugees

The FC Barcelona first team players get behind the campaign 'Tant se val d'on venim'

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Leo Messi is one of the players supporting 'Tant se val d'on venim' / FCB
Luis Enrique, Iniesta, Messi, Neymar, Piqué and Sergio Busquets appear in videos that will be used for the Foundation's initiative to help refugees arriving in Europe

The FC Barcelona first team players and coach are amongst the first to lend their support to the campaign ‘Tant se val d’on venim’ to help the refugees in Europe that has been launched by the FC Barcelona Foundation in collaboration with the Red Cross. The initiative was launched on Friday by vice president Jordi Cardoner and first team players Andrés Iniesta, Leo Messi, Neymar, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets and coach Luis Enrique have all taken part in a series of videos and photo sessions in support of the campaign which aims to raise money for the refugees and to raise awareness of their plight as they arrive in Europe, as well as contributing to their efforts to settle in the continent.

The blaugrana players will also take part in the image that will form the face of the campaign and in various photographs that will distributed via different social networks and the Club’s official channels. FC Barcelona wants to take advantage of their presence in the media and the Club and the players’ ability to reach people to highlight the importance of contributing and helping the refugees.

 

The video that the players have recorded follows on from the first that was shown at the launch of the project on Friday and has as its slogan the title of the campaign ‘Tant se val d’on venim’, which forms part of the Barça anthem.

Gestures of support on Sunday against Levante

The video will be shown via the Club’s official channels and will also be shown before Sunday’s league game against Levante. There will be other gestures and initiatives to raise money and promote the campaign. On the esplanade outside the main stand there will be a stand with volunteers from the Red Cross and at the entrances to the stadium there will be tables with information and suggestion boxes.

The Barça players will take the field wearing special FC Barcelona Foundation campaign shirts in collaboration with the Red Cross. The Levante players will wear a Professional Football League (LFP) campaign shirt in collaboration with UNICEF and that also has the support of FC Barcelona.

More about the campaign to help the refugees

FC Barcelona more than 200 million followers on social networks

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The Club has more 40 profiles on more than a dozen channels
Barça are the first sporting organisation to break the 200 million barrier and consolidate their position as global leaders in digital media Just in 2015 Barça have added 36 million new fans at a rate of 1 million per week

It is the first sporting institution to break the 200 million barrier in the area of digital media and so reaffirms its position as a global leader

FC Barcelona has once again broken all the records on social networks by reaching the figure of 200 million followers. Barça is ahead of the rest of Europe’s football clubs and North American sports franchises and remains a global reference point on social networks. In the last few months the Club has become the first sporting organisation to reach 200 million and in doing so it has become a leader in on the principal digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It is worth highlighting the spectacular growth that FC Barcelona has experienced on Instagram where they now have more than 19 million followers, a far cry from the 2 million they had back in June 2014.

The Club has more than 40 profiles on more than a dozen networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LINE, YouTube, Dailymotion, Vine, Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo, WeChat) and has consolidated its position as a reference point in the world of sport. Barça’s digital brand keeps growing at an alarming rate and its platform is now available in nine different languages (Catalan, Spanish, English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Indonesian, Chinese and Japanese). If we take the figure of 200 million Barça follower then if it were a country it would be the fifth largest in the world behind China, India, the United States and Indonesia.

We can find other figures that illustrate Barça’s unstoppable growth in this area. In 2015, the number of FC Barcelona followers on social networks has grown at the rate of 1 million a week. Aside from the Club’s efforts to promote growth in this area, the success on the field in 2015 (the league, Champions League and Copa del Rey treble) has also contributed to this astounding increase.

Currently Facebook is the social network with most followers (114 million for the 10 profiles that Barça has), whilst Twitter with its 16 accounts at present become the means by which fans can follow all the latest up to the second news at the Club and its different teams. Furthermore, alongside the FC Barcelona app, LINE is the ideal channel to receive all the latest Barça content for mobiles. The growing multimedia offering from Barça has diversified with Instagram, Vine, YouTube and Dailymotion. The line up is completed with Chinese social networks WeChat, Tencent and Sina who have around 10 million followers.

Below we take a look at the some of the details of the 200 million fans that Barça has on the main social networks.

Facebook: the post at the end of the Champions League victory over Juventus was the most viral on this particular social network with more than a million likes. https://www.facebook.com/197394889304/posts/10153546460199305

Almost 8 million viewings of this video of the second treble.

https://www.facebook.com/fcbarcelona/videos/vb.197394889304/10153546015109305/?type=2&theater

Twitter: the signing of Arda Turan was the most popular tweet amongst the Club’s 16 official accounts https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/618135032499208193

Instagram: In just the season 2014/15, the FC Barcelona account has seen a rise of 491%. The five most popular photos came after the victory in Berlin to seal the historic treble.

YouTube: if we were to watch all the videos on the channel (at the moment there are more than 11,000), it would take more than 1,350 years. The most watched clip on the official blaugrana channel was one involving Messi and Neymar from last season with more than 8 million reproductions https://youtu.be/I2vrCUFAaSo

Vine: In 12 months of existence, Barça’s six second videos have been reproduced 215 million times

LINE: Barça is the only club in the world with six different accounts (global, Catalan, Spanish, Japanese, Indonesia and Portuguese) with more than 27 million followers.


'Tant se val d'on venim' campaign to help refugees comes to Camp Nou

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The Barça team with the special campaign t-shirt / MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Taking advantage of the game against Levante, a series of events to raise money have taken place with the players wearing a special jersey and president Bartomeu offering his support in the Directors' Box

The campaign ‘Tant se val d’on venim’ to help the refugees who are currently arriving in Europe received the support on Sunday of the Barça fans and members who came to see the game between the blaugranes and Levante. The initiative put together by the FC Barcelona Foundation in collaboration with the Red Cross saw various events to raise awareness about the desperate situation of those who have been forced to leave their countries due to conflicts in the Middle East.

The campaign has three main components – raising money, raising awareness and integration – and it has been a fundamental part of the day at Camp Nou. In the area surrounding Camp Nou the fans and members were able to find special stands set by the Red Cross distributing information and there were also points around the ground where it was possible to donate money.

Before the game the Barça players were the main protagonists given their important role in the campaign. On the video screen inside the stadium a video involving Luis Enrique, Iniesta, Messi, Neymar, Piqué and Sergio Busquets was projected that takes as its inspiration the name of the initiative, ‘Tant se val d’on venim’ that is part of the Barça anthem. The blaugrana players took the field before the game wearing special t-shirts in support of the Foundation’s campaign to help publicise the initiative. The Levante players themselves wore t-shirts in support of the Professional Football League’s collaboration with UNICEF in favour of the refugees which also has the support of FC Barcelona.

Collaborating organisations in the Director’s Box

In the President Suñol box the campaign was also visible. President Josep Maria Bartomeu and vice president Jordi Cardoner came together with different organisations collaborating in the campaign, the vice president of the Government of the Generalitat de Catalunya and Councillor on Social Welfare and Family, Neus Munté; the first Deputy Mayor of Barcelona City Council, Gerard Pisarello; the second Deputy, Laia Ortiz; the president of the Red Cross in Catalonia, Antoni Aguilera; the president of the Red Cross Barcelona, Josep Quitet; the coordinator of the Red Cross in Catalonia, Enric Morist and the member of the Fundació Districte 11, Manel Vila.

The campaign is here to stay and activities and fund raising (on Match Days at Camp Nou, Palau Blaugrana and the Miniestadi) as well as raising awareness about the new arrivals in Catalonia will continue until the January of next year with the help of the supporters’ clubs in Catalonia.

New multimedia installations at the FC Barcelona Museum

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The ‘split flap’ has 4,800 images
Visitors can now find a large interactive wall that accesses a database of images from the club's past

20% increase in August

The FC Barcelona Museum saw a total of 583,735 visitors in August, a 20% increase on last season (487,937).

The FC Barcelona museum has opened two new facilities this summer which were renovated to make photographs and videos centre stage.

The first new attraction is a large interactive wall which is seven metres long and over two metres high consisting of high quality HD monitors. The wall has an advanced system of gestural interaction based on an image recognition system and a set of Kinect cameras. Here, fans are able to

The other new addition to the museum is the 'Split Flap' system which provides a journey throughout the club’s historic moments which includes a total of 4,800 images.

By the end of the year, visitors will be able to enjoy an area dedicated to last year’s treble-winning side.

Photo of Pele and Cruyff, the museum’s latest gem

The museum now proudly displays its latest gem – an iconic photo taken by Xavi Valls of Johan Cruyff and Pelé, two of football’s biggest legends. The image comes from a match between FC Barcelona and Santos during the Ramón de Carranza Trophy in 1974 and now sits alongside other memorabilia from the famous Dutch player, such as the shirt he wore in the 0-5 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 1973.


President Josep Maria Bartomeu talks to Harvard Business School about the FC Barcelona club model

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Josep Maria Bartomeu during his video conference with Harvard / VÍCTOR SALGADO-FCB
The club president participated in a video conference to a class of the world-renowned university

FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu participated in a lecture at Harvard Business School on Tuesday via a video conference in which the club was presented as a case study, looking at how the organisation has managed to combine global success while staying true to its local roots.

Barça’s case was presented for the first time to the Harvard students of the Creative Industries syllabus led by professor Anita Elberse, an expert in the sport and entertainment industries. The 180 students attentively followed the lecture of professor Elberse as well as the comments from President Bartomeu who participated from the stands of the Camp Nou.

Bartomeu spoke, with an interval of an hour and a half, to the two classes in which the course is divided. Laporta explained to students what FC Barcelona is and what the club represents in the world of football.

The fact that the club is owned by its members makes the club special, Bartomeu explained. Therefore, when it comes to managing the club, the thoughts of the members must be taken into account and the doors must be open to all the fans who visit and follow the club around the world.

This is precisely the main point to be drawn from the case study which the students of the Harvard Business School have worked on. The key to FC Barcelona’s has been in combining its international outlook while maintaining its deep local roots, identifying itself with Catalunya.

The presentation then focused around an idea that defines the essence of Barça: the ball as the centre of everything. “FC Barcelona’s success” explained Bartomeu “is that for decades we have sought to treat the ball with the respect that this sport deserves. From our youth teams and right through to our stars, the ball is at the centre of all of our effort and it from this that our game reflects the five values that define our club: effort, teamwork, respect, humility and ambition”.

In the discussion that followed, Bartomeu answered a series of questions asked by the students, who were clearly very interested in learning about a wide range of aspects of the Club, from its politics to the price of tickets and from ways of maximising attendance at the stadium to how young talents are nurtured in La Masia and how a Club operates when rather than answer to a single owner, it is run by its more than 140,000 members. As for competition in the football business, Bartomeu commented that “Barça’s biggest competitor right now is no single club, but rather the Premier League as a competition.”

As explained in the conclusions to the study, in order for the Club to maintain its successful model, it needs to meet a series of objectives, which include the maintenance of sporting excellence, the generation of profits, the expansion of the Barça name around the world, and leadership on social networks (the Club has more than 200 million followers) while also respecting its roots at home.

The Harvard Business School is considered to be one of the most important institutions of its kind in the world and is one of the flagships of the prestigious university. In almost forty years of existence, the centre has educated many of the most influential leaders, businesspeople and thinkers in the world.

New 2015/16 season passes will be required for game versus Las Palmas

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The new 2015/16 season ticket ID card will be mandatory to get into Camp Nou beginning on Saturday 26 September 2015. / FCB
Last season's ID cards and parking passes are no longer valid at Camp Nou beginning on Saturday

FC Barcelona is informing season ticket holders that beginning with Saturday’s 4.00pm CET league match against Las Palmas at Camp Nou, the new 2015/16 season ticket ID card will be required for access. For those with parking spaces, the new parking pass will also be mandatory on Saturday.


Last Sunday's league match against Levante was the last in which the club allowed access to the stadium with the old passes. Anyone who does not yet have the new card will be able to pick it up at their CaixaBank office if their payments are made by direct debit with the bank. Those paying through other entities and who have not yet received their card may pick it up at the Barcelona Supporter Services Office (OAB).

For any questions, please contact the OAB via phone 902 1899 00, by e-mail oab@fcbarcelona.cat, or visit in person.

Changes to gates at Camp Nou

The Club would also like to remind season ticket holders that there have been changes in the assignment of entrance portals that give access to the stadium in order to speed up the process and improve the flow of traffic inside the grounds. Should season ticket holders wish to continue using the same doors they used last season, they may do so, but the Club recommends using the new doors, which are indicated on new 2015/16 season pass. These new doors, in most cases, are closer to members’ seats and enable them to reach their seats faster and more easily.

Child passport renewal

The game against Las Palmas will also be the first game this season where the Child Passport may be activated. Members who have not received their passports through regular mail may pick them up in person at the OAB.

Senior passport pick up

Members who have a Senior Passport from last season will have to pick up the new passport for the 2015/16 season in person at the OAB. Like the Child Passport, the Senior Passport card from last year will no longer be valid beginning with the match against Las Palmas and therefore only this season’s card can be activated.

OAB Hours

• Monday to Friday, from 9.00am to 8.00pm
• On game days at Camp Nou: weekdays from 9.00am until the beginning of the second half and weekends and holidays from 10.00am until the beginning of the second half.

Barça as a model of success

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Jesper Jørgensen,Deloitte member with Jordi Cardoner
First vice president Jordi Cardoner offers the "more than a Club" conference at the annual Deloitte Denmark convention, taking its inspiration from the blaugranes leadership in the world of sport

FC Barcelona has become in the last few years a model of success for many businesses and organisations that see the blaugranes as an undisputed leader in the world of sport. This is the case for auditing firm Deloitte Denmark, the country’s leader in auditing and assessment who recently celebrated their annual shareholders meeting in Barcelona. Deloitte Denmark, in an attempt to become the leader in the sector by 2020, has launched a new strategy inspired by the success of FC Barcelona.

The first vice president Jordi Cardoner and the head director of the Social Commission, Josep Maria Barnils, presented to more than 200 Deloitte members the “more than a Club” conference, based on the model of member ownership, a unique style of play and the production of home-grown players from La Masia. The conference highlighted the model of DNA Barça and the Club’s inherent values; an historic, mutlisport entity whose social work is channeled through the FC Barcelona Foundation.

International MPs observing Catalan Elections invited to Camp Nou

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FC Barcelona at a DiploCat event in 2013. / Rubén Moreno.
The member of parliaments who will follow the Parliamentary elections on Sunday will see the game against Las Palmas on Saturday from the Presidential Box

FC Barcelona has invited the international MPs who are following the Catalan Parliamentary Elections as observers to the President Suñol box at Camp Nou for the game between the blaugranes and Las Palmas on Saturday at 4.00pm CET.

The 15 members of regional, state and European parliaments are in Barcelona as guests of the Council for Public Diplomacy in Catalonia (DIPLOCAT). The visitors will play an observational role on Sunday during election, attending meetings and then reporting back to their respective countries.

FC Barcelona has formed part of the of the DIPLOCAT since December 2013 and as a social and sporting entity and is represented by the vice president Carles Vilarrubí.

The Council for Public Diplomacy in Catalonia (DIPLOCAT) is an institution that was created in November 2012 as a public-private organisation that has as its objective to explain to the outside world and inform international public opinion about Catalonia and at same time raising its profile internationally.

The members of the observation committee invited to Camp Nou are the following:

  1. Gutto ap Owain Bebb  (MP United Kingdom / Conservative and Unionist Party - ECR)
  2. Mark Demesmaeker (MEP / Flanders – Belgium / NVA - ECR)
  3. Simon Elo  (MP Finland / Perussuomalaiset PS - ECR)
  4. Jill Evans (MEP / Wales - United Kingdom / Plaid Cymru – GreensEFA)
  5. Bernhard “Felix” von Grünberg (RegMP North Rhine-Westphalia - Germany / SPD – S&D)
  6. Mónica Edith Gutiérrez  (MP Argentina / Frente para la Victoria)
  7. Colm Keaveney (MP Ireland / Fianna Fáil - ALDE)
  8. Peter Luykx (MP Bèlgica / N-VA - ECR)
  9. Gérard Onesta  (RegMP Midi-Pyrénées - France / Europe Écologie Les Verts - GreensEFA)
  10. Daniel Peña Fernández (MP Urugua / Partido Nacional)
  11. Mark Pritchard  (MP United Kingdom / Conservative and Unionist Party- ECR)
  12. Sjúrður Skaale  (MP Denmark / Javnaðarflokkurin – S&D)
  13. Alyn Smith  (MEP / Scotland – United Kingdom / SNP – GreensEFA)
  14. Bodil Valero (MEP / Sweden / Miljöpartiet de gröna - GreensEFA)
  15. Gerald ZELINA  (MP Austria / Team Stronach)
  16. Albert Royo, Secretary General, Diplocat

FC Barcelona welcomes international diplomats to the Camp Nou

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President Bartomeu and vice-president Vilarrubí with the international MPs / MARTA BECERRA
President Josep Maria Bartomeu and vice-president Carles Vilarrubí hold meeting with the guests invited by Diplocat

The President Suñol Box at the Camp Nou had some very special guests today in the form of the regional, state, European and Latin American MPs that are in Barcelona to monitor Sunday’s elections to the Catalan Parliament.

Barça president Josep Maria Bartomeu, joined by Head of International and Institutional Relations, Carles Vilarrubí, held a meeting with the vice-president observers, who are here to observe the voting process in person and then report back on it to their respective countries.

FC Barcelona has formed part of the Council for Public Diplomacy in Catalonia (DIPLOCAT), the body that invited the guests to the stadium, since December 2013 and as a social and sporting entity and is represented by the vice president Carles Vilarrubí.

DIPLOCAT is an institution that was created in November 2012 as a public-private organisation in order to inform the outside world about Catalonia and at same time raise its profile internationally.

How Toronto Blue Jays slugger José Bautista became an FC Barcelona fan

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José Bautista awaits his turn at batting practice after trading for a fan’s Lionel Messi jersey before a game in August. / MLB.COM
The 34-year-old baseball player, native of the Dominican Republic and six-time all-star reveals a bit of family history along with his admiration for the Barça team, it’s star Lionel Messi and the sport of football

The Toronto Blue Jays and Futbol Club Barcelona come from unique worlds. They play different games on different shaped fields on different continents, and they don’t have much of anything in common, really, except for the fact that the sports they participate in both involve the use of a ball. That and avowed Barça supporter and Blue Jay right fielder, José Bautista.

Back in August the 34-year-old Dominican-born slugger made headlines when he took a break from pre-game batting practice after spotting a fan sporting a Lionel Messi jersey. A professed FC Barcelona supporter, Bautista just couldn’t resist, trading his shirt for the fan’s — and throwing in a pair of signed baseballs to sweeten the deal.

So, just how did Bautista become such a die-hard Barça supporter?

Recent discovery

Bautista has been fan of the beautiful game ever since he was a child. But it wasn’t until several years ago, after learning that his family had roots in Catalonia, that he began following FC Barcelona. “I got lucky,” he admits.

It wasn’t just his family’s provenance and his love of the sport that brought him on board as a supporter of the Catalan club. His Blue Jays teammate, pitcher Dioner Navarro, is also a huge Barça fan and had a fair amount of influence, something Bautista emphasizes. “I have to thank him for sparking that interest again.”

With FC Barcelona’s unprecedented haul of titles in the last several years, there’s no doubt the team has made a deep impression on Bautista. “It’s been an amazing run, they have some of the best players in the world, and I’m a proud fan,” he declares.

Baseball v Soccer

The unique skills required in different sports are ripe for comparison, something especially common in the United States, where the act of merely making contact with a pitched baseball, not to mention hitting home runs, is generally regarded as the Mount Everest of sports-related challenges, at least as far as hand-to-eye corrdination is concerned.

Bautista is quick to point out, though, that “being a soccer player isn’t easy. I try to play with my teammates as a warm-up, and it’s one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever done,“ he concedes. “I take my hat off to all the guys that play, like [Lionel] Messi.”

But can Messi hit the curveball?

Bautista knows what it’s like to get into the batter’s box, to be stared down by a pitcher throwing over 90 miles per hour, and to have just a fraction a second to decide whether to even swing, much less make contact. He’s seen his share of breaking balls too, those nasty pitches that can drop, slide or sink at the last instant for added difficulty.

Does he think Messi — the four-time winner of the Ballon d’Or — can hit the curveball? “I don’t know…” doubts the two-time major league home run leader, well aware of Messi’s propensity for executing surreal on-field moves that often times make it look like he’s being controlled by a joystick. Without hesitation, Bautista reconsiders: “…but he does some things that I would categorize as more difficult than hitting home runs.”

The slugger continues: “Messi’s an amazing athlete. He’s been a great ambassador for the game, so my hat’s off to him. I really admire him a lot for everything he’s accomplished...”

Following Barça from afar

There’s no question the daily grind of Major League Baseball’s marathon 162-game regular season leaves little opportunity for the players to enjoy life’s other pursuits. Bautista, however, makes a point of finding time to follow his favorite team. The six-time all-star tries “to catch as many games as possible,” despite the inconveniences of the sizeable time difference, which can be six to nine hours depending on where the Blue Jays are playing.

It's even more difficult on Saturdays and Sundays, he says, when Major League Baseball tends to schedule more games at midday, right around the same time that Barça’s matches are kicking off in the evenings in Europe. But that’s no burden for Bautista. “I try to watch replays, and whenever they’re not playing at the same time [as us] we’re definitely sitting down and watching,” he affirms.

Camp Nou on the horizon

Although visiting Camp Nou is a lifelong dream for Barça supporters worldwide, for Bautista there’s no shame in acknowledging that he’s never been to a game there. Nevertheless, the right-handed power hitter is determined to check that box. “I think I’m going to break that streak this season,” he vows.

The Blue Jays currently lead the American League East with just a handful of games remaining. After clinching a postseason berth on Saturday night, it seems that a few more weeks of baseball is only going to delay the inevitable. “Hopefully me and my family and a few teammates are going to go to Barcelona this year when the season’s over,” he theorises, while hinting that the wheels are already in motion. Bautista even ventures so far as to say that if the Blue Jays win the World Series it would be the icing on the cake, just one more reason “to celebrate and go see a few games.”

“Hopefully I get to meet a lot of the fans face to face and have that experience at Camp Nou that I know is going to be unbelievable,” Bautista humbly envisions. “I have my fingers crossed.”

29 September 1993: A great European comeback

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Ronald Koeman celebrates the fourth and definitive goal against Dynamo Kiev / HORACIO SEGUÍ - FCB
One of the most memorable performances of the Dream Team era came against Dynamo Kiev

Johan Cruyff’s Barça team produced one of the greatest Champions League nights against Dynamo Kiev by bouncing back from a 3-1 defeat in Ukraine to win the second leg 4-1 and go through to the next round.

News reporter David Salinas wrote at the time that “the team oozed top quality football, played like a champion and scored four goals when they could easily have got three more, because the woodwork prevented them from beating goalkeeper Koutepov even more times”.

Laudrup and Bakero put the Dream Team ahead on the night and also on goal difference overall with goals after 9 and 17 minutes, but a Rebrov goal before the break meant there would still be work to be done in the second half. The home side stormed back out, and Bakero levelled the tie just four minutes after the restart, before a Koeman free-kick finally settled things for the Catalans.

Johan Cruyff was thrilled with such a fine attacking performance from his team, in front of a packed Camp Nou. The Barça line-up that glorious evening was: Zubizarreta, Ferrer, Guardiola, Koeman, Nadal, Bakero, Goicoetxea, Quique Estebaranz (Juan Carlos, m. 81), Laudrup, Romario and Begiristain (Amor, m. 60).


Camp Nou Experience competition has a winner

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August winner of the Camp Nou Experience competition
This is the best photo from the month of August as the winner takes home a Barça first team shirt

Now we know the name of the winner of the CAMP NOU EXPERIENCE photo competition. The Instagram account that takes home the Barça shirt is omid_the_shredder, and to obtain the prize, an e-mail has to be sent to campnouexperiencefcb@gmail.com with an address to which the shirt can be delivered.

The competition consists of taking a photo at the Camp Nou Experience imitating one of the first team players and posting it on Instagram with the hashtag #CampNouExperience. Every month the Club is giving away a Barça shirt to the person who posts the best photograph.

 

FC Barcelona joins ECA initiative to support the refugees

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#90MinutesForHope
The Club will donate a euro for the sale of every ticket for the Champions League match tonight at the Camp Nou against Bayer Leverkusen

FC Barcelona has added its name to the project being organised by the ECA (European Clubs Association) in support of the refugees that have arrived in Europe, by which the Club will donate one euro for every ticket that it sells for tonight’s Champions League match at the Camp Nou against Bayer Leverkusen. The ECA will be pooling all of the donations and forwarding the proceeds to the different European organisations working to help the refugees.

The initiative, known as 90 Minutes for Hope, was proposed at the last General Assembly of the ECA on September 8 in Geneva. The Executive Board, on which FC Barcelona is represented by its president Josep Maria Bartomeu, called on each of the 32 clubs in the Champions League and the 48 in the Europa League to make a donation of one euro for every ticket sold for the first European fixture played in their home stadiums this season. Clubs that are not involved in UEFA competitions can also join the project by making donations on ticket sales for matches in their domestic league or cup competitions.

This donation is one of many actions that the Club is promoting to support the refugees, following on from the Tant se val d’on venim campaign being run by the FC Barcelona Foundation in collaboration with the Red Cross, the charity organisation that is working to get assistance to the refugees. The campaign was launched on occasion of the Liga match at home to Levante on September 20 and will be continued over the following months. The programme is based around three core areas of action: fundraising, social awareness and the integration of new arrivals.

Agenda for 2015 Ordinary General Assembly

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The 2015 Ordinary General Assembly will be held on 25 October. / FCB
Official announcement of the convening of the General Assembly, which, according to Article 27.3 of the Club Statutes, must be advertised in a daily newspaper with wide circulation in Barcelona, or communicated to all delegates, as well as on the Club's official website.

In a meeting held on 14 September 2015 the Board of Directors of Fútbol Club Barcelona, in accordance with the provisions of Article 27 of the Club Statutes, agreed to convene the Ordinary General Assembly at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, located at Avinguda Diagonal 661-671 in Barcelona, on 25 October 2015, the first call coming at 9.30am and the second at 10.00am, with the following agenda:

AGENDA

1. President’s report
2. Financial report for the 2014/2015 season and approval
3. Budget report for the 2015/2016 season and approval
4. Ratification of the Board members, in line with Article 35.1 of the Club Statutes   
5. Ratification of the Economic Commission, in line with Article 58 of the Club Statutes
6. Technical Secretary’s report
7. Ratification, if needed, of the new sponsorship contract for the Football first team uniform
8. Ratification, if needed, of the agreement for the creation of the FC Barcelona University
9. Presentation and report on the state of the ‘Espai Barça’ project
10. Members’ proposals in line with article 20.11 of the Club Statutes
11. Members’ Ombudsman’s report
12. Questions from the floor

The Board of Directors has arranged for the presence of a notary in order to appear at the General Assembly and record the minutes, detailing any agreements made, as well as any interventions made by those in attendance.

We would like to inform all member delegates that, given the proceedings may last until the evening, a one-hour break will be taken between 2.00pm and 3.00pm, during which refreshments will be served, before restarting the session.


Barcelona, 1 October 2015
Secretary of the Board of Directors
Jordi Calsamiglia i Blancafort

Toshiba, official FC Barcelona medical systems partner

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The Club will be able to access the departments of Toshiba Ultrasound and MRI Engineerin
Toshiba Medical Systems Europe will supply the very latest systems to the Club Medical Services for the next five years

From this season, Toshiba Medical Systems Europe will be an official partner of FC Barcelona in the field of medical services. The European subsidiary of the Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation will supply 13 Ultrasound Systems and one Magnetic Resonance Imaging System to the Club’s medical centre, which will help to improve injury prevention and diagnosis and assist with the rehabilitation of players in the different professional and amateur sections.

As a result of this five-year agreement, the Club will be able to access the departments of Toshiba Ultrasound and MRI Engineering, which supply the very latest technology for diagnostic imagining, and will also provide support and advisory services to the FC Barcelona doctors.

Toshiba Medical Systems Europe (TMSE) is a regional subsidiary of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, the world’s leading supplier of diagnostic imaging systems: Ultrasound, Digital Radiology, Interventionist Radiology, Computerised Tomography, Magnetic Resonance, Nuclear Medicine and integral solutions.

Statement by Jordi Monés, director responsible for the FC Barcelona Medical Area:

“We are very satisfied with this deal. Toshiba is a prestigious international brand that is a leader in diagnostic imaging and with a great commitment to scientific investigation. This agreement strengthens our diagnostic capacity with one of the most important global brands in the Medical field and is a further step into Japan where FC Barcelona has an immense supporter base”

Statement by Toshio Takiguchi, President and CEO of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation:

“We are happy to have our leading global brand partner with one of the best clubs in the world, FC Barcelona. This partnership will strengthen both brands as they continue their passion for sport and the values associated with it. Those values that FCB represents, such as respect, effort, ambition, teamwork and humility, are also relevant in our Company’s culture.”

‘Barça Dreams’: the movie that travels to the Club's soul

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Mosaic del Camp Nou
‘Barça Dreams’, produced by Jorge Lorenzo, comes out on October 9 and tells the story of the most important people in FC Barcelona’s 115 year history

Barça Dreams, the brand new movie about FC Barcelona was presented today in the Antiga Fàbrica Damm in Barcelona. The launch was attended by its director Jordi Llompart, MotoGP rider and the film’s producer Jorge Lorenzo, and the president of the Barça Players Group, Ramon Alfonseda.

The movie has taken two years to make, during which time historic material has been gathered, images of games have been recorded and 3D animations have been created, along with a series of interviews that form the main thread of the production.

The final result, Barça Dreams, is an emotional journey into the soul of the Club as explained through some of the most important figures in its 115 year history, from founder Joan Gamper through to Leo Messi, and including such legends as Kubala, Cruyff and Ronaldinho, all of whom are essential for understanding how the Club came to develop its own unique playing style, and one which has consistently been the focus of worldwide admiration.

The movie includes appearances by Leo Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué; former players and coaches in the form of  Johan Cruyff, Louis van Gaal, Ronald Koeman, Gary Lineker, Carles Rexach, José Mari Bakero and Éric Abidal; basketball star Pau Gasol; historian Carles Santacana; and journalists Ramon Besa and Graham Hunter, among others.

“Barça deserved a film like this"

Director Jordi Llompart comments that “Barça deserved a documentary film like this, which explains why its history is so unique and explores its revolutionary contribution to the modern football spectacle … A lot of Barça fans, especially abroad, will be surprised by the different anecdotes and historical facts that reveal the extent to which Barça is much more than a mere sports club”.

Jorge Lorenzo continued by saying that “it has been an honour to form part of this project and to help everyone to understand why Barça is more than a club”.

“The movie reflects the Barça sentiment to perfection, as well as how the Club is identified with the Catalan nation and culture”, adds Ramon Alfonseda.

Barça Dreams is a project by the GEN IMAGE MEDIA production company. The project also involved ENTROPY STUDIO, TVC and TVE, as well as enjoying full collaboration from FC Barcelona. The movie will be distributed internationally by FILMAX and has already been released to great acclaim in Mexico.

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