FC Barcelona and Camp Nou

     FC Barcelona "More than a club"


Hey there sports fans and welcome to this weeks edition of Wide World of Wildcats. I am currently home in Sacramento, relaxing and enjoying some quality time with my family. When I arrived home, my parents had saved an article about me from our local newspaper, the Sacramento Bee, about FC Barcelona, specifically their stadium, Camp Nou. Last semester (Fall 2008), I had the opportunity to study abroad in Barcelona. It was by far the best time of my life and I loved every second of it, especially when it came to soccer. With that said, FC Barcelona (the city's soccer team) is one of the best teams in the world and they have been through a lot to get to where they are today. The article I read said that you have not truly experienced Barcelona unless you have been to a FC Barcelona game at Camp Nou. While abroad, I was lucky enough to not only attend an FC Barcelona game, but I was also able to take a tour of Camp Nou. Here's what I have for you.

     VIP seats in Camp Nou

History

The first stadium FC Barcelona played in was Les Corts in 1922. The s

tadium held only 20,000 people and it was quickly decided they needed more room. In 1957, Camp Nou was opened and is still the home of FC Bar

celona. Camp Nou holds over 98,000 people and is the largest stadium in Europe.

    Goal and part of Camp Nou

FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 and FC Barcelona stands for Futbol Club Barcelona. Their slogan is "Mes que un club" which translates to "More than a club." Their colors are scarlet and blue. Each jersey has UNICEF printed on it as  each year FC Barcelona donates $1.9 million to the charity. They have won numerous championships and are one of the most successful futbol clubs in Europe. Their biggest rival is Real Madrid and every year they face-off in El Clasico. Today, FC Barcelona's best and most notable players in the world is Argentian-born Lionel Messi who is only 21 years old. 

    Locker room

Game Experience

Walking into Camp Nou was one of the coolest yet most overwhelming experiences. It was packed with people all sporting their Barca jerseys. I was worried about hooligans, but luckily I didn't encounter any. Most people in the United States stereotype futbol games as being out of control and dangerous because of the fans, but that is only in extreme cases. My seats were in the last row of the stadium, but there are no bad seats in Camp Nou. One thing most people are surprised to hear is that they do not sell alcoholic beverages at the stadium, only non-alcoholic beer. The food is also not a hot commodity like it is in the U.S. I had some sort of hotdog soaked in mustard and I was the only one at the concession stand. The game in itself was very exciting. Goal after goal and of course, Barca won. It was unbelievable just to be part of the game and the futbol experience. When we left, the metro (the subway) was crowded with people shouting their favorite FC Barcelona cheers and drinking the 1 Euro Estrella's they bought on the streets. I agree with the author of the article-you can not truly experience Barcelona unless you attend a futbol game.

     Press room

That wraps up this weeks edition. Hope you enjoyed learning about FC Barcelona and Camp Nou. Tune in next week and until next time, Bear Down!

     Part of trophy case