FC Barcelona - The Camp Nou - Capacity – 98,800 All Seater
The Stadium – The Camp Nou Avinguda Aristides Maillol, 08028 Barcelona Possibly the most famous stadium in the world, the Nou Camp to give it its Anglicised name is also one of the most basic. Three staggering tiers of plastic bucket seats (apart from in the VIP area) with very little cover from the Catalonian sun doesn’t sound like a Mecca to most, but all football fans dream of a visit to the stadium. The club moved here in 1957 after years of success playing in the intimidating Les Corts stadium nearby, with an initial capacity of around 90,000.
In 1980 the third tier was added to the stadium, raising both the external height to a massive 49metres, as well as the capacity to 115,000 in time for the 1982 World Cup Finals. In the mid 1990’s, in order to increase the capacity once again to compensate for a move to all seater, the pitch was lowered and further seats were added to the sides of the upper tier. The first event to be hosted in the new UEFA 5 Star stadium was the dramatic 1999 Champions League final when Manchester United snatched victory in injury time from Bayern Munich.
So what makes the stadium so special? Certainly if you have been an away fan at the Nou Camp watching Chelsea or Manchester United in the Champions League, you wont think much of the view from the away section high up in the gods. However, it is the passion and the history that seeps through every seat, and every entrance that make the stadium so special. Visit on a warm barmy summer night and you cannot fail to be carried away with the local’s passion for the team. Under Frank Rijkaard the good times have returned to Barcelona and now more than ever is a time to get a ticket and sit back and watch the stars perform. The club run daily tours in English, taking in the dressing rooms, dug outs, media room and a photo opportunity with the Champions League trophy. These tours cost approximately €13 and include a visit to the Museum. The tours are open from 10am daily, and the last tour is 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, 1.30pm on Sundays.
Who Plays There? Despite being one of the most famous clubs in the world, Barcelona’s achievements in their 107-year history outside Spain have been relatively modest. All of this at last seems to be changing with current coach, Dutchman Frank Rijkaard shaping a team that can compete on the highest stage – a fact borne out by their Champions League Final victory over Arsenal in Paris in May 2006. The club were originally formed by Joan Gamper, the man who gave his name to the current stadium, in 1899. Today, the club is a major sporting organisation with not only the Football club, but also a Professional Basketball team, a Handball team and an Ice Hockey team.
One of the main points that Barca are still famous for is having never signed a Shirt Sponsorship agreement in their history, although they are currently sporting the UNICEF Logo on the shirt sleeves as part of a 5 year deal signed in 2006.
The team took part in the first ever Copa del Rey in the early part of the century, and reached their first major final in 1902, losing 2-1 to Vizcaya. In 1909 Gamper secured the club its first stadium and this co-incided with sustained success in the cup, with eight victories in Gamper’s reign in charge between 1908 and 1928. The following season the club won their first of eighteen La Liga titles.
The bitter rivalry between Real Madrid and Barca began to develop at this time, and was further fuelled by the commencement of the Civil Way in the late 1930’s that saw Franco’s regime favour the Castillian team over Barca. There were a number of events that took place in the next few years that underlined the bitter feelings between the two of them. In 1943 in a semi-final of the Copa del Generalissimo (the renamed Copa del Rey), Barca took a 3-0 lead into the second leg of the semi in Madrid. With some farcical refereeing, and some intimidation in the dressing rooms, Barca lost the game 11-1.
After the end of the civil war, the club were forced to rename themselves to Club de Fútbol Barcelona, and rid themselves of any Cataluyan insignia. Despite the efforts of the regime to favour Real Madrid, the club won seven La Liga titles up until 1960 as well as four Cup Finals.
They also won the first ever Inter-Cities Fairs Cup held in 1958, beating a London XI 8-2 on aggregate. They retained their trophy in 1960, beating Birmingham City 4-1 on aggregate, and again in 1966 beating Real Zaragoza.
In 1961 they became the first ever team to inflict a European Cup defeat on Real Madrid after more than 5 years of competition. However, this turned out to be one of the high points of the decade as the huge expansion of the Camp Nou meant that there was little money available to spend on the team. In 1974 the major turning point in the club’s history arrived as the world’s greatest player, Johan Cruyff arrived in the city. In his first season at the club the team stole the championship from Real Madrid, and capped it off with a 5-0 win in the Bernabau. Major inroads into European success still eluded the team, although in 1979 they won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup by beating Fortuna Dusseldor in Basel, and again in 1982 beating Standard Liege
Cruyff finished his career at the club, and would later return as coach. In the meantime they signed teenage sensation Diego Maradona for a world record fee in 1982. His time at the club was disappointing, with one single Copa del Rey title in 1983 to show for his efforts. In 1985 he moved onto Napoli, and the club appointed Terry Venables as manager. El Tel as he became to be known bult a solid team, including ex-Spurs and Scotland international Steve Archibald and delivered the La Liga title in 1985, and a year later almost won the European Cup with the team losing on penalties in a 99.9% Spanish supporting stadium in Seville to Steaua Bucherest.
The following year Venables brought in Gary Linekar and Mark Hughes to add goals to the flair. Linekar settled very quickly and went on to become the leading scorer in Spain. Hughes had a harder time and returned to Manchester United, via Bayern Munich in the following year. In 1988, Johan Cruyff returned to the club as manager where he stayed for eight years, building the “Dream Team” including Josep Guardiola, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romario nd Hristo Stoichkov. The team won successive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994 as well as beating Sampdoria in the 1989 European Cup Winners Cup Final. In 1992 the club lined up for their second ever European Cup Final in Wembley, again against Sampdoria. A 30-yard free-kick from Ronald Koeman in extra time was enough to give the trophy to the club.
Despite being the club’s longest serving manager, Cruyff consistently fell out with President Josep Núnez. Eventually, the President had enough and replaced the legend with Bobby Robson. In his one and only season in charge Robson won the Copa del Rey and delivered further European glory with another Cup Winner Cup victory, this time versus Paris Saint-Germain in Rotterdam with the youngster Ronaldo. Part of Robson’s successful coaching team was a young Jose Mourinho.
Another Dutchman, Louis van Gaal took over the club in 1998 and he delivered immediate results with a team full of flair including Luis Figo, Rivaldo and Marc Overmaars. They won the double in 1998, and the La Liga again the following season. Van Gaal left in 2000 as Núnez lost the Presidential election to Joan Laporta, only to briefly return as a stopgap in 2002. The club went through one of the barronest runs in their history, failing to win a single trophy between 1999 and 2005 when Rijkaard arrived on the scene. The Dutchmen was soon to make his mark on the squad, moving out some of the older more established players such as Guadiola and Rivaldo and replacing them with the current stars including World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, Deco, Carlos Puyol and latest teenage sensation Lionel Messi. In his first season, Rijkaard held off a spirited challenge from champions Valencia to win the La Liga, although defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League last 16 was a bitter pill.
Undeterred they retained their title in 2006, again holding off Valencia and got their revenge over Chelsea in a stormy affair at Stamford Bridge. This season has not gone according to plan. Losing 4-0 to Seville in the European Super Cup in Monaco was not the best start to the season, and although their league form has been consistent (they current sit second behind the team of the moment Seville), their Champions League performances have been far from impressive with a defeat in London to new rivals Chelsea, coupled with a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture and a 1-1 draw in Bremen leaving them having to beat the German’s in the return fixture in December to guarantee a place in the last 16.
How to get to the Camp Nou The stadium sits equi-distant between three metro stations – Les Corts and Maria Cristina on Line 3, or Collblanc on line 5. The best station is Maria Cristina – leave the station by the Avenida Diagonal exit. Follow the road with the two huge La Caixa towers on your left. When you reach the Hotel Princesa Sofia turn left and walk down Joan XIII for the stadium.
Footiemap.com is the place to access a Barcelona city map showing all of the football clubs in the city.
How to get a ticket for the Camp Nou Barcelona has around 103,000 members, or season ticket holders. For most matches, the number of members who actually attend games ranges from 20,000 up to 98,000 for the games versus Real Madrid. However, there is a process in place whereby members can sell their season tickets back to the club on a match-to-match basis – these are the ones that are then put on general sale by the club. Tickets for games generally go on sale around 10 days before the match. If you are a Barcelona club member (see details below) then you are able to book tickets online via the official website. This link takes you off to the ServiCaixa site that allows you to collect tickets from any of their automated machines in the city. If you are not a member then you can either buy them in person from the Ticket Office at the stadium (Mon-Thursday 9am to 1.30pm, 3pm to 6pm, Weekends 9am to 2.30pm), or by phone +34 93 496 36 00). There are also a number of touts, or scalpers who wait outside the stadium hoping to sell tickets on match days. If you do decide to go down the route, try and enter the stadium quickly to determine whether the ticket is a forgery or not.
Ticket prices range from €45 in the third tier behind the goal, to over €100 in the middle tier close to the halfway line. You can also buy Silver and Gold VIP packages that include a meal, drinks, a souvenir gift and a posh seat in the main preferencia. These packages range in price from €140 to €250 depending on the game.
If you wish to become a member, then you are able to buy season tickets from €72 for a ticket in the upper tier. Membership costs €71 for the year and is open to people from all countries – just follow the link from the home page and the English instructions will talk you through the process. Once you have your membership card (it usually takes 2-3 weeks to reach the UK) you can book tickets for any game online.
Our partners at Main Event are one of the leading ticket agencies in Spain, and are official agents for Barcelona. They can provide tickets for almost every game at the Camp Nou, with prices starting from €60.
Click here for a video tour of the Nou Camp. Around the Camp Nou The stadium is located in the mainly residential area of Les Corts, approximately 3km north of the city centre. There are a few restaurants and bars at this end of Avenida Diagonal, but its best to stick to the city end of this road for refreshments. Opposite the stadium is the mini-Estadi where Barcelona B play, and where more than likely England will play Andorra in March 2007 in a European 2008 qualifying tie.C
FC ESPAYNOL - ESTADIO OLIMPICO - Capacity : 54,000 All seater
The Stadium – The Olympic Stadium Passieg Olimpic, Montjuic, Barcelona Plans have at last been put in motion to return Espanyol to their own ground after enforced exile for the past ten years in the Olympic Stadium. Their previous ground, the Sarriá, was a homely affair but wasn’t up to the increased standards required by La Liga football, despite hosting games during the 1982 World Cup Finals. It is hoped that the new stadium, in the Sarriá area of the city by the start of the 2008/09 season. This new stadium will hold 40,000 fans and is being built to UEFA 4 star standards, making it eligible for UEFA Cup finals – although interestingly the current Olympic stadium is only one of 3 UEFA 5 Star Stadiums.
Whilst it can be all too plain to see why Espanyol want to move from the atmosphere and lack of crowds for games like Getafe, Santandar and Cadiz, the stadium itself is steeped in history and has one of the most magnificent façade’s in world football. The stadium is most famous for hosting the Olympic Games in 1992, although it was originally opened in 1929.
The stadium is far from ideal for football, with the stands set quite along way back from the action. The lack of a roof on three of the four sides also means that the atmosphere is easily lost. For normal league games the upper tiers of the Lateral and Tribuna only tend to be opened. This means that if inclement weather is forecast, demand for the seats in the covered Tribuna rises significantly. The views from all stands are unobstructed – if the weather is good then head for the upper lateral which offers a fantastic backdrop over the west of the city. The stadium also has a small museum tracing the preparations for the 1992 Olympics at the far end to the main entrance. On most days, the stadium is also open for tourists and locals alike to wander in and have a drink at one of the bars at the north end.
Who Plays There? Espanyol It is quite ironic that last season the city of Barcelona’s 2nd team, Espanyol, had their best season in decades, only to be usurped by the achievements across the city at the Nou Camp. However, it could be said that the combined success of the two teams moved the city to the top of the pile in the world in terms of footballing power. Last season, despite finishing in 15th place and only just avoiding relegation by 2 points, Espanyol got the luck of the draw in the Copa Del Rey, avoiding all of the big teams on their route to a final appearance with Zaragoza in Madrid. There they put their league form behind them and a 4-1 win ensured European football again for the team from Montjuic. In the first round of the UEFA Cup they have drawn last season’s Champions League surprise package, Artmedia of Bratislava. They will be hoping to get a stage further than last season when a good group draw in the UEFA Cup saw them finish comfortably in 2nd place in the opening stages with wins against Lokomotiv Moscow and Petach-Tikva. However, they can count themselves unlucky to have drawn one of the favourites, Schalke 04 in the next round where they lost 5-1 on aggregate.
The Copa del Rey’s have been the highpoint of Espanyol’s record in Spanish football. They have never won the La Liga, but have captured the King’s cup on four occasions. Their first triumph came in 1929, when they beat the mighty Real Madrid with Ricardo Zamora, the national goalkeeper performing miracles between the posts. So much so that Real came back a few weeks later and bought Espanyol’s first (and only) folk hero. Their second win came in 1940, when they again beat Real Madrid, but it was a much weaker team due to the Civil War.
In 1988 they had their finest run in Europe, under future national coach Javier Clemente, when they beat both Milan clubs on the way to a penalty shoot out defeat in the final to Bayer Leverkusen after throwing away a 3-0 first leg lead.
By the start of the 1990’s, the club had managed to accrue a debt somewhere in the region of £45m, and the sale of their ground in Sarrià was essential to avoid bankruptcy. The move to the Olympic Stadium co-incided with new players such as Florin Raducioiu (later to flop badly at West Ham), Jordi Cruyff and Juan Esnaider performing on the pitch, and in the final year of the millennium they captured the cup for the 3rd time, beating Athletico Madrid.
Their subsequent travels into the UEFA Cup saw them reach the third round before a 2-0 home defeat to Porto saw them crash out. In 2004/05 season, they came within 1 point of making the Champions League, losing out on the last day to Real Betis for 4th spot. The team today has a core of Spanish players as well as star names Walter Pandiani (ex-Birmingham City) and Alberton Riera (ex Manchester City). However, the team has not started well and two defeats in their first two games has not filled the club with confidence going into the European campaign.
How to get to the Olympic Stadium The stadium sits proudly on the Montjuic, overlooking the city of Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea. Whilst there are a number of options available to fans in reaching the stadium, one of the best ways to reach the stadium is by cable car from the port area of the city (Torre de Sant Sebstia), offering some magnificent views over the whole area. The stadium is a 5-minute walk back down the hill from the Cable Car stop. There is also a funicular railway running from Paral lel metro station that runs until 8pm daily.
Bus numbers 9, 27, 30, 37, 50, 55 and 56 all run from Plaza Espanya if your legs can’t manage the walk up past the national museum (although there are escalators that take out much of the hard work). The nearest metro is Plaza Espanya that is on Red line 1 and Green line 3.
Footiemap.com is the place to access a Barcelona city map showing all of the football clubs in the city.
How to get a ticket for the Olympic Stadium Tickets for most Espanyol games are on sale up until kick off from the two ticket offices on either side of the stadium. Sellouts are very rare – even a Barcelona derby game sometimes doesn’t sell out. With European football returning to both stadiums in 2006, no doubt the average attendances will be set to rise. If you want to book your tickets before you arrive them you are able to via the official website http://www.rcdespanyol.com which has a very impressive online booking facility.
For a normal league game (i.e. not Barcelona or Real Madrid), tickets for the Lateral Superior (upper tier) are €30, Tribuna Superior (upper tier under cover) €40 and for a place amongst the hardcore Espanyol fans then head for the Gol section where tickets are €25.
As a trial, the official tourist office is selling tickets for both Espanyol and Barca games online via its official website (http://www.barcelonaturisme.com) from €25, although don’t expect many to be available for the latter.
Our partners at Main Event are one of the leading ticket agencies in Spain, and are official agents for Barcelona. They can provide tickets for almost every game at the Camp Nou, with prices starting from €60.
Around the Olympic Stadium The stadium is part of the historic Montjuic area of Barcelona, and enjoys some of the best views of the city. From the cable car station just 5 minutes walk away from the stadium you can see across the whole city and into the Mediterranean Sea. The area is one of significant cultural importance and so there is little in the way of commercial activity around the stadium bar from a couple of temporary bars set up on match days. There can be no better sight than leaving the Olympic Stadium at night and walking down towards the Plaza Espana and seeing the fountains lit up and music playing.
Getting around The city has an excellent metro system, with over a dozen lines, supplemented by trams and buses. A single fare is €1, with some excellent value daily and weekend passes available from all metro stations. Some of the main attractions are located in the central square – and are thus best explored on foot. Otherwise invest in a Day pass or a T-10 which gives 10 journeys on any form of transport for €6.30.
Nearest Airport – Barcelona El Prat (BCN) Telephone: +34 900 100 405 Website: http://www.aena.es
El Prat airport is second only to Madrid in terms of passenger numbers, but this is due to increase when the new South Terminal opens in 2008. This will be the hub for Spanair, as well as the Barcelona-Madrid shuttle that is the busiest inter city route in the world. The airport has is one of the major hubs of the budget airline network with over 100 airlines using it – including the following from the UK.
British Airways – Heathrow and Gatwick BA Connect – Birmingham Easyjet – Bristol, Liverpool, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Newcastle Flyglobespan – Edinburgh and Glasgow Iberia – London Heathrow Jet2.com – Belfast and Leeds/Bradford Thomsonfly – Coventry
Currently, the easiest way to reach the city centre is by train from the terminal across the main car park. Trains run every 30 minutes to Sants station with a journey time of 20 minutes. A scheduled bus service from Aerobús runs via Sants, Plaza d’Espanya and terminates at Plaza Catalunya. When the new AVE line is open, there will be a new station at the airport, as well as metro stops on lines 2 and 9. A taxi takes around 25 minutes and should cost less than €20.
Ryanair fly to Girona and Reus, which are around 80 kilometres north and south of the city respectively. Both are accessible by regular buses that meet the incoming flights.
Who Plays There?
The Stadium – The Olympic Stadium
Who Plays There?