Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper facts for kids
Main entrance, with the multi-sport pavilion at the right side
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| Location | Sant Joan Despí Barcelona |
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| Coordinates | 41°22′33″N 02°03′08″E / 41.37583°N 2.05222°E |
| Owner | FC Barcelona |
| Type | Football training ground |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2006 |
| Construction cost | €77.5 million |
| Tenants | |
| FC Barcelona (training) (2006-) | |
| Website | |
| C.E. Joan Gamper | |
The Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper (Catalan pronunciation: [siwˈtat əspuɾˈtiβə ʒuˈaŋ ɡəmˈpe]) is the main training area and youth academy for the famous Spanish football club FC Barcelona. It opened on June 1, 2006. The name honors Joan Gamper, who founded the club.
This huge sports complex is located in Sant Joan Despí, a town near Barcelona. It covers a massive area of 163,650 square meters. Since 2006, it has been used for training and matches for Barcelona's youth teams. In January 2009, the first team, which includes all the famous players, also started training here.
The Ciutat Esportiva is not just for football. Other FC Barcelona sports teams, like Basketball, Handball, and Futsal, also use its excellent facilities. Before this complex was built, many youth teams trained at the Camp Nou stadium. Now, all of them train at the Ciutat Esportiva.
FC Barcelona's first team moved their training to this facility on January 19, 2009. This meant they no longer trained on the small pitch next to the Camp Nou, which they had used for 30 years. The training facilities for the first team are very modern. They even include a swimming pool and saunas to help players recover after training or injuries.
In 2011, a new building called the "new La Masia" opened on the site. This building is a home for FC Barcelona's young players who come from far away. It has living spaces for about 85 players. This helps them focus on their training and studies.
The land for the Ciutat Esportiva was bought by the club in 1989. It is only 4.5 kilometers away from the Camp Nou stadium. A direct road connects it to both Barcelona and Sant Joan Despí. The entire complex cost about 68 million euros to build.
What facilities are at Ciutat Esportiva?
The Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper has many different areas for training and sports. It is designed to help players of all ages develop their skills.
Football pitches
The complex has a total of nine football pitches.
- 5 pitches have natural grass, just like professional stadiums.
- Pitch 7: This pitch is 105 by 68 meters and can hold about 1,750 spectators.
- Pitch 1: This pitch is also 105 by 68 meters and can hold about 1,400 spectators.
- Pitch 2: This pitch is 105 by 65 meters and can hold about 400 spectators.
- Pitch 3: This pitch is 105 by 65 meters.
- Pitch 4: This pitch is 105 by 65 meters.
- 4 pitches have Fieldturf, which is a special artificial grass.
- Pitch 8: This pitch is 105 by 65 meters and can hold about 950 spectators.
- Pitch 5: This pitch is 105 by 65 meters.
- Pitch 9: This pitch is 105 by 65 meters.
- Pitch 6: This is a smaller pitch, 55 by 38 meters, used for mini-football.
Other sports areas
Besides football pitches, the Ciutat Esportiva has facilities for other sports.
- A large multi-sport pavilion is used for basketball, handball, and futsal. It can hold 472 spectators.
- There is a grandstand building next to Pitch 1 for fans to watch games.
- A service building provides catering areas for the teams.
- The complex has three gymnasiums for strength and fitness training.
- There are two press areas for journalists to report on the teams.
- Four first aid areas are available for any injuries.
- A dedicated dressing room building is used by all the teams.
- Special training areas are set up for goalkeepers and for working on specific football skills.
- A pool and saunas are available to help players recover from injuries or intense training.
In 2012, new, advanced artificial turf was installed on four of the pitches. This shows how FC Barcelona keeps its facilities modern and top-notch for its players.
See also
In Spanish: Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper para niños
