ESTADI OLÍMPIC LLUÍS COMPANYS, ENJOYING MONTJUÏC

Today, The Grandma has been enjoying football. In the afternoon, she has stayed at Johan Cruyff Stadium in Sant Joan Despí, and in the evening, at Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc, Barcelona. It has been a fantastic day.

Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium formerly known as the Estadi de Montjuïc and Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc and also known in English as the Barcelona Olympic Stadium, is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia.

Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the city and Barcelona's failed bid for the 1936 Summer Olympics, which were awarded to Berlin, it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1992 Summer Paralympics. 

It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Barcelona since the 2023-24 season, due to the renovation of their regular ground, the Camp Nou. 

The stadium is named after Lluís Companys, a president of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) executed by Francoist Spain.

With its current capacity of 55,926 seats (67,007 during the 1992 Olympics), it is the second largest stadium in Catalonia.

The stadium is located in kir the Anella Olímpica, on Montjuïc, a hill to the southwest of the city that overlooks the harbour.

Designed by architect Pere Domènech i Roura for the 1929 Expo, the stadium was officially opened on 20 May 1929. The opening ceremonies included Spain's first official rugby international game against Italy, and a friendly football match between the Catalan national team and Bolton Wanderers, which the Catalan team won by a shocking score of 4–0 with goals from Josep Samitier, Martí Ventolrà and Manuel Parera.

It was meant to host the People's Olympiad in 1936, a protest event against the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, but the event had to be canceled due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

In the fifties, the stadium was the centerpiece of the 1955 Mediterranean Games, and in 1957 it hosted the only national football cup final between Barcelona and Espanyol, the two local clubs.

In the seventies, the stadium was disused and the stands deteriorated. When the Spanish Grand Prix and other races were held at the Montjuïc racing circuit, the stadium was used as a paddock for the teams. Due to safety concerns, the 1975 F1 race was nearly boycotted by drivers.

During Barcelona's bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics, the stadium was totally renovated with the involvement of Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti. The stadium was gutted, preserving parts of the original facades, and new grandstands were built. In 1989, the venue was re-inaugurated for the World Cup in Athletics, and three years later it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and all the athletics competitions of the Olympic Games and also the same functions during the Paralympics.

The stadium served as the home of Espanyol from 1997 until 2009. It also served as the home of the Barcelona Dragons American football team from 1991 until 2002. Because the size of the playing surface was slightly shorter than the regulation American football length, the stadium only had seven-yard end zones, three yards shorter than regulation NFL size in 1991 and 1992. They were later lengthened to the standard ten yards. The stadium also played host to the National Football League's American Bowl in 1993 and in 1994. The San Francisco 49ers played the Pittsburgh Steelers on 1 August 1993. The second game was played on 31 July 1994 between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Denver Broncos.

In 2001, the stadium was renamed after the former president of the Generalitat de Catalunya Lluís Companys, who was executed at the nearby Montjuïc Castle in 1940 by the Franco regime. 

In 2010, the stadium hosted the 20th European Athletics Championships.

Since the 2023-24 season, the stadium has served as the home ground for Barcelona during the redevelopment of the Camp Nou. The club plans to continue playing at the Estadi Olímpic until the redevelopment of the Camp Nou is completed by the 2025-26 season.

More information: Estadi Olímpic

The Olympic Games showed us that with self-discipline
and dedication we can be champions.

Anurag Thakur

FCB PLAYS THEIR 1ST MATCH AT JOHAN CRUYFF STADIUM

Today, The Grandma has been watching some football matches, and she has started with the first match that F.C.Barcelona Femení played at Johan Cruyff Stadium on a day like today in 2019.

Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Catalan Estadi Johan Cruyff, is a football stadium operated by Barcelona in Sant Joan Despí, Barcelona, Catalonia. Located in the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, the club's training facility and youth academy, about 7 km from the Camp Nou. The stadium is home to Barcelona Femení, Barcelona B and Juvenil A (U19 A team). 

It is named in honour of legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff who died in March 2016.

It is a UEFA Category 3 stadium and houses 6,000 supporters. As part of the Espai Barça project, it is the replacement for the Mini Estadi, which was in front of the Camp Nou and was demolished in 2020, and the land of the Mini Estadi will be used to build the Nou Palau Blaugrana.

Estadi Johan Cruyff broke ground on 14 September 2017 and was completed in Summer 2019.

It was opened on 27 August 2019, with a friendly match between the under-19 teams of Barcelona and Ajax. The match ended up in a 0-2 score where Ajax was the winner.

On 26 August 2019, a day before the stadium was officially opened to the public, Barcelona paid tribute to Cruyff by unveiling his statue at the Camp Nou.

On 7 September 2019, Futbol Club Barcelona Femení played their first game at Johan Cruyff Stadium against CD Tacón winning 9-1 with Alexia Putellas scoring the first goal.

More information: F.C.Barcelona

 It's like everything in football -and life.
You need to look, you need to think,
you need to move, you need to find space,
you need to help others. It's very simple in the end.

Johan Cruyff

ENJOYING F.C.BARCELONA AT JOAN GAMPER TROPHY

Today, The Grandma has enjoyed FC Barcelona Women Joan Gamper Trophy at Estadi Johan Cruyff in Sant Joan Despí.

The Joan Gamper Trophy, in Catalan Trofeu Joan Gamper, is an annual association football exhibition match held in August, before the start of Barcelona's La Liga season, where top division clubs from the world compete against them.

The competition is hosted by FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium (men) and at Johan Cruyff stadium (women) and is named in honour of Joan Gamper, a founding member, player, and later president of the club. The competition was inaugurated in 1966 by Enric Llaudet, one of Gamper's successors as club president.

The trophy itself is an 800-gram silver cup with five micrometres of gold finishing, on top of a 10-kilogram marble plinth base.

Initially, four teams participated in the competition, which featured two semi-finals, a third-place play-off, and a final.

For the first competition in 1966 (men), Barcelona were joined by Belgium's Anderlecht, France's Nantes, and Germany's 1. FC Köln. Barcelona beat the German team 3-1 in the final. Köln subsequently won the competition in 1978 and 1981 and were runners-up in 1979, making them the only team, other than the hosts, to win the competition more than once.

More information: FCBarcelona

Once again, Barça Women start their season with the Joan Gamper Trophy at the team's base, the Estadi Johan Cruyff. Just a few days before leaving to tour the USA, the blaugranes will be reunited with their fans for the first home game against AC Milan on Friday August 23. 

The event will include the team's presentation to the fans plus a wide range of different fun activities and musicians performing live to suit everyone's tastes.

Fans will be able to enjoy different games and surprises, which will include a DJ set, games in the stands and on the big screen relating to the women's first team and the Club's 125th anniversary, a shower of shirts for those in attendance, as well as Estrella Damm games both pre-match and at half time, with the usual hosts whipping up the atmosphere. Ginestà are the guest musical duo, and they will sing the Barça anthem pre-match, while performing one of their own songs at half time.

One of the most eagerly waited moments of the event will undoubtedly be the presentation of the squad and the coaching staff. As usual, the players will take to the pitch one by one to greet the fans, including the new coach and the recent signings.

Something new for this edition of the Gamper game will be the jersey the players wear against AC Milan, as the men's first team did at the Gamper on August 8. Given the Club will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year, the blaugranes' kit will have a specially created logo on the right sleeve to commemorate the year the Club was founded, which was presented a few months ago at an event with president Joan Laporta and the 125th anniversary commissioner, David Carabén. This won't be the only time this logo will appear as it will be used on other items throughout the season as the 125th anniversary celebrations continue.

The first three editions of the women's Gamper game took place at Estadi Johan Cruyff and this edition will be the fourth. The trophy remained at home for the previous three editions.

More information: Hans Max Gamper-Haessig, More Than A Founder

La capitana és la primera que es compromet
als objectius que es fixen internament,
han de donar exemple per reforçar-ho.

The captain is the first to make a commitment
to the objectives that are set internally,
they have to lead by example to reinforce that.

Alèxia Putellas

JOHAN CRUYFF STADIUM, MORE THAN EMPOWERMENT

Today, The Grandma and Claire Fontaine have visited Johan Cruyff Stadium in Sant Joan Despí. She has enjoyed an exciting game between FC Barcelona and Alhama. 

The Grandma loves football, and she is a great supporter of all FC Barcelona sections, especially women's team, that was formed in 1970.

Johan Cruyff Stadium, in Catalan Estadi Johan Cruyff, is a football stadium operated by FC Barcelona in Sant Joan Despí, Barcelona, Catalonia, located in the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, the club's training facility and youth academy, about 7 km from Camp Nou. 

The stadium is home to FC Barcelona women's team, FC Barcelona Atlètic and Juvenil A (U19 A team). It is named in honour of legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff. It is a UEFA Category 3 stadium and houses 6,000 supporters.

Estadi Johan Cruyff broke ground on 14 September 2017 and was completed in Summer 2019. It was opened on 27 August 2019 with a friendly match between the under-19 teams of Barcelona and Ajax. The match ended up in a 0–2 score where Ajax was the winner.

On 26 August 2019, a day before the stadium was officially opened to the public, FC Barcelona paid tribute to Cruyff by unveiling his statue at Camp Nou.

More information: FC Barcelona

Futbol Club Barcelona Femení, commonly referred to as Barça Femení, is a Catalan professional women's football team based in Barcelona, Catalonia.

It's the women's football section of FC Barcelona and it competes in the Primera División, the top tier of Spanish women's football.

Formed in 1970 by 18-year-old Immaculada "Imma" Cabecerán, the club was an establishing member of Spain's first recognized women's league, the Primera División, founded as the Liga Nacional.

Although being closely associated with the club for decades, the team was not established as an official section of FC Barcelona until 2002, when the club definitively incorporated Club Femení Barcelona into its sports structure. Through battles with promotion and relegation, the club won their first league title in 2011.

Domestically, Barcelona Femení has won a record 18 trophies: 7 Primera División, 9 Copas de la Reina, and two Spanish Supercups titles.

By winning the Champions League, FC Barcelona became the first club to win a Champions League title for both its men and women's footballing sections.

Barcelona Femení plays its home games at Johan Cruyff Stadium in Sant Joan Despí, and occasionally at the Camp Nou. 

FC Barcelona is not a sports corporation (SAD), as its ownership rests with its memberships, called socis.

One morning in November 1970, 18-year-old Catalan amateur footballer Immaculada Imma Cabecerán Soler met with former FC Barcelona president Agustí Montal Costa to discuss the formation of a women's team associated with the club.

On 17 November 1970, in a way akin to Joan Gamper, Cabecerán posted a print advertisement in an FC Barcelona fan magazine called La Revista Barcelonista. She called for women between the ages 18-25 to play in an exhibition match the following month at the Camp Nou.

The team came to fruition and was formed of 17 individuals- Maria Antònia Mínguez, Llera, Giménez, Pilar Gazulla, Lluïsa Vilaseca, Aurora Arnau, Anna Jaques, Maite Rodríguez, Immaculada Cabecerán, Núria Llansà, Alicia Estivill, Blanca Fernández, Lolita Ortiz, Consuelo Pérez, Carme Nieto, Fina Ros and Glòria Comas- all of whom were all trained by Barcelona legends Antoni Ramallets and César Rodríguez, although the latter left after a few days. The team played their first match on Christmas Day, 1970, winning on penalties against Unió Esportiva Centelles in front of a crowd of around 60,000 people.

The match, played under the name Selección Ciudad de Barcelona, was a charity match organised by Ràdio Nacional to raise funds for local children's hospitals. Although the team was not officially recognized by the club, it was the first match played by a women's team associated with FC Barcelona (then known as CF Barcelona). The team later evolved into Penya Femenina Barça, and Ramallets coached them until 1972.

More information: FC Barcelona-Instagram

During the 1980s, the team was renamed Club Femení Barcelona. They reached an informal integration agreement with FC Barcelona where they were allowed to use the colors, badges and facilities of the club, but it took a few more years to adopt the crest. On 29 June, 1985, the team won its first competition- the Generalitat Cup.

In 1988, Club Femení Barcelona, which was sponsored by FC Barcelona, was a founding member of the Liga Nacional, now known as the Primera División, the first women's league recognized by the RFEF. They had a successful 3-year run in the early 1990s, winning the 1994 Copa de la Reina and being the championship's runner-up in 1992 and 1994, but they subsequently declined to bottom table positions.

In the summer of 2015, the club made the decision to professionalize the women's section.

In the seasons that followed, Barcelona placed a greater priority on competing in the UEFA Women's Champions League. The club reached their first Women's Champions League semifinal in the 2016-17 season, and also defeated Atlético Madrid Femenino in the 2017 Copa de la Reina.

On 16 May 2021, Barcelona won the UEFA Women's Champions League title for the first time after they beat Chelsea 4–0 in the final in Gothenburg, with all four goals coming within the first 36 minutes of the match.

In doing so, Barcelona became the first ever club to have been European champions in both men's and women's football.

More information: FC Barcelona-Twitter

Tant se val d'on venim,

si del sud o del nord.

Tenim un nom, el sap tothom:

BARÇA! BARÇA! BARÇA!