FC Barcelona Femení facts for kids
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| Full name | Futbol Club Barcelona | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Barça Femení, Blaugrana, El Femení (team) Culers, Barcelonistes, Blaugranes, Azulgranas (supporters) |
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| Founded | 1970 as Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona 1971 as Penya Femenina Barcelona 1983 as Club Femení Barcelona 2002 as Futbol Club Barcelona |
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| Ground | Estadi Johan Cruyff Camp Nou (selected matches) |
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| Capacity | 6,000 | |||
| President | Joan Laporta | |||
| Head coach | Pere Romeu | |||
| League | Liga F | |||
| 2023–24 | Liga F, 1st of 16 (champions) | |||
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Futbol Club Barcelona Femení, often called Barça Femení, is a professional women's football team. It is based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. This team is the women's football part of FC Barcelona. They play in the Liga F, which is the top league for women's football in Spain. Their home games are usually at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Sant Joan Despí. Sometimes, they play bigger matches at the Camp Nou or Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
The club started in 1970. At first, it was called Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona. In 1971, it changed its name to Peña Femenina Barcelonista. Later, in 1983, it became Club Femení Barcelona. In 2002, the team officially joined FC Barcelona and got its current name, Futbol Club Barcelona Femení.
Barça Femení is the most successful women's team in Spain. They have won many titles, including nine league titles, ten Copas de la Reina, and four Supercopas. They also won the second-tier league four times.
Since 2015, when the club became professional, Barcelona has been the top women's football team in Spain. They are also one of the most successful women's teams in Europe. They won the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2021, 2023, and 2024. When they won their first Champions League title, they became the first Spanish women's team to win a continental treble. This means they won their league, national cup, and the Champions League all in one season. With their third Champions League win, they became the first Spanish women's team to win four trophies in one season.
Contents
History of Barça Femení
How it All Started: The 1970s
Women's football in Spain was popular in the 1960s, but it wasn't official. The first version of Barcelona Femení was called Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona. It was formed in November 1970. FC Barcelona had women's teams play exhibition games before, but this new team was meant to be a lasting project.
The idea for the team came from a footballer named Immaculada Cabecerán. The Selecció Barcelona played their first game on Christmas Day 1970. They won against Unió Esportiva Centelles in front of about 60,000 fans. Even though the team wasn't officially part of the club yet, it was the first women's team linked to FC Barcelona. In 1971, the team changed its name to Penya Femenina Barça. They became very popular and played more games at the Camp Nou. They wore the famous blaugrana (blue and red) uniform. They finished second in a Catalan cup in 1971 and won a league in Catalonia in 1973.
By 1975, women's football in Spain was not as strong. In 1977, there was no women's league in Catalonia. P.F. Barcelona even had to ask for new players in a magazine. But Barcelona was one of the big teams that kept playing. They even played against teams from other countries. A Catalan women's league started again in 1978–79.
Growing Stronger: 1981–1988
In 1980, the Spanish Football Federation officially recognized women's football. In 1981, a Catalan women's league was created, and Barcelona was one of the first teams in it. In the 1982–83 season, the team got a new coach, Núria Llansà, and changed its name to Club Femení Barcelona. This name was closer to the men's team's name.
A group of players left to form a new team called Penya Barcelonista Barcilona in 1981. Barcilona was more successful than Barcelona in the 1980s. But both teams were considered the best in Catalan women's football. Barcelona won its first official trophy, the Copa Generalitat, in 1985. They beat Barcilona and Vallès Occidental.
FC Barcelona's support for the women's team changed over time. In 1983, the women's team didn't have a fixed training place. But by 1984, FC Barcelona started showing more interest. They offered their stadiums and facilities. Since 1985, the team played most home games at the Mini Estadi.
National League and Challenges: 1988–2001
In 1988, Club Femení Barcelona helped start the Liga Nacional. This was the first top national league for women in Spain. The team's performance was not always consistent. They would sometimes lose to weaker teams and beat stronger ones. They were usually a mid-table team.
They had a good period in the early 1990s. They finished in the top three in the league between 1992 and 1994. They also won the Copa de la Reina in 1994. After that, their performance went down, but they always stayed in the top division.
In 2000, the women's team became part of the Barcelona Foundation. This made them part of the club's official structure.
Becoming Official and Second Division: 2002–2007
In 2001, the league changed its name to Superliga Femenina. Barcelona could not join the top division because of a fee. They were placed in the new second division. In 2002, FC Barcelona officially made the women's team a part of the club. They changed the name to Futbol Club Barcelona Femení. The next year, the team became "professional," but players still needed other jobs because their salaries were not enough.
Barcelona won their group in the Segunda División in 2002 and 2003. But they couldn't get promoted to the Superliga. They finally moved up to the Superliga Femenina in 2004. In the 2004–05 season, they became more popular. This was partly because they signed Mexican player Maribel Domínguez and Spanish player María Luisa Coimbra. But this didn't lead to great results.
Xavi Llorens became the manager in 2006. He took over from Natalia Astrain. In 2007, the team was relegated (moved down) to the second division. The club even thought about closing the women's section.
Back to the Top and First Golden Era: 2008–2015
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Barcelona returned to the Superliga in 2008. From 2009 to 2011, they became a top team in the league. In 2011, they won their second Copa de la Reina. They beat their local rivals Espanyol 1–0 in the final.
In 2012, they won their first league title. They scored a record 94 points. This also meant they qualified for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time. They won the league again in 2013, beating Athletic Bilbao on the last day. They also won the Copa de la Reina in 2013. This made them the fifth Spanish women's team to win both the league and the cup in the same season.
Barcelona reached the quarterfinals of the Women's Champions League in 2013–14. In that same season, they won their third league title in a row. Between 2011 and 2014, Barcelona had amazing winning and unbeaten streaks. By the end of the 2013–14 season, the club called these four years a "Golden Era." The team even got its own section in the Barça Museum. In the 2014–15 season, they became the first team to win four league titles in a row.
Becoming Professional and New Rivals: 2015–2018
In 2015, the club decided to make the women's team fully professional. Even with their success, players couldn't make a living just from playing. The club knew they needed to be professional to compete in the Champions League. A sponsorship deal with Stanley Tools in 2014 helped them become professional. In 2018, Stanley became the first shirt sponsor just for the women's team. This helped the team's finances.
When they became professional, their domestic dominance changed. It was a big change for the team. Barcelona started focusing more on the Champions League. They wanted to improve conditions for players. They reached their first Champions League semifinal in the 2016–17 season.
During this time, Atlético Madrid Femenino became a very strong team. They challenged Barcelona's success. A rivalry grew between the two teams. Atlético won three league titles between 2016–17 and 2018–19. Barcelona finished second in those seasons.
Barcelona beat Atlético in the 2017 Copa de la Reina final. This was Xavi Llorens' last game as coach. After him, Fran Sánchez became coach, and Markel Zubizarreta became sporting director. The team started signing big international players like Toni Duggan from England and Lieke Martens. Martens became the highest-paid female footballer at the time. In 2018, Barcelona Femení went on a pre-season tour with the men's team for the first time. This helped promote women's football and equality.
The New Dynasty: 2019–Present
On March 17, 2019, Barcelona played Atlético at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium. This game set a new world record for attendance at a women's club football match, with 60,739 fans. Later that season, Barcelona reached their first Champions League final. They lost 1–4 to Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (Lyon), who had won the Champions League five times.
Lluís Cortés became coach in January 2019. Barcelona then focused on developing young talent from their own club. They only signed outside players who fit the team's playing style. After losing the 2019 Champions League final, the club invested more in improving player conditions and support staff. From 2019 until now, Barcelona Femení has been called a "new dynasty" in European football. In 2024, many people saw the success of Barcelona Femení as the main story for FC Barcelona.
For the 2019–20 season, Barcelona won four titles. But they didn't reach the Champions League final, which was a bit disappointing. Since 2020, Barcelona has won the league and reached the Champions League final every season. They also win at least one of the Copa de la Reina or Supercopa each year.
They won their first Champions League title by beating Chelsea 4–0 in the 2021 final. Even when Cortés left a month later, the team kept winning. Their 2021–22 season was one of the most dominant in football history. They didn't win the Champions League that season, but they won it again in the next two years. In the 2023–24 season, they had even more success. They won four trophies in one season, beating Lyon 2–0 in the 2024 Champions League final. This was their third Champions League title in four years, and their first win against Lyon.
During this time, Barcelona players also won many individual awards. Captain Alexia Putellas won all major individual awards for two seasons (2020–21 and 2021–22). Then, Aitana Bonmatí won all individual titles for the 2022–23 season. She had one of the most successful seasons ever for any footballer.
The team also broke attendance records. They twice set the highest-ever attendance for a women's football match. They beat Real Madrid and then Wolfsburg at the Camp Nou. The crowds were 91,553 and 91,648 people. They also broke the world record for a transfer fee in women's football. They bought Keira Walsh from Manchester City in 2022.
Barcelona's dominance in Spain also grew. They beat main rivals Atlético 7–0 in the 2021–22 Supercopa final. That season, they won the league very early, in March. Real Madrid started their women's team in 2020 to challenge Barcelona. But Barcelona has won every match against Real Madrid as of 2024.
Supporters and Popularity
Barcelona Femení has its own group of fans, different from the men's team. The team's popularity grew a lot after it became professional. This growth is partly linked to the rise of feminism in the 2010s. The fans of Barcelona Femení include women and men of all ages. Many are men who don't usually watch the men's team. In the 2020s, more long-time Barcelona fans have started watching and enjoying the women's team.
The team moved to the Johan Cruyff Stadium in 2019. This stadium is outside the city of Barcelona. Even so, by 2022, the team had four times more fans at their games than when they played at the Mini Estadi. This was because the club started treating the women's players the same as the men's in advertising and merchandise. Fans also started traveling more to watch the team play away games.
In 2022, the audience for Barcelona Femení games was more diverse. This might be because the women's team did not offer season tickets. Most tickets for women's games were bought in packs of four.
Team Rivalries
Barcelona Femení's first rivalry was with local team Espanyol. They played their first games against them in 1971. The first league match between them in 1988 was a 2–2 draw. Over time, the two teams had different levels of success.
The main rivalry for Barcelona Femení became Atlético Madrid Femenino. Both teams were very successful in Spain and Europe in the 2010s. Their playing styles were also very different. Barcelona and Athletic Club Bilbao also had a rivalry in the 2000s and early 2010s. Their matches often had large crowds. Barcelona, Atlético, and Athletic were the first big professional women's teams in Spain. They were the main rivals for a long time.
Real Madrid started its women's team in 2020. At first, Barcelona players didn't see it as a big rivalry. But they knew it helped women's football become more popular. Real Madrid has improved, but Barcelona has won every match against them as of 2024.
Barcelona also has rivals in the Champions League. These include Wolfsburg and Lyon. Lyon had beaten Barcelona in two Champions League finals. Barcelona wanted to reach Lyon's level. They finally beat Lyon for the first time in 2024.
Honours and Awards
Official Titles
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning Seasons | Runners-up |
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| Continental | UEFA Women's Champions League | 3 | 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24 | 2018–19, 2021–22, 2024–25 |
| Domestic | Liga F | 10 | 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25 | 1991–92, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 |
| Copa de la Reina | 10 | 1994, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24 | 1991, 2016 | |
| Supercopa de España Femenina | 5 | 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25 | ||
| Segunda División (Group III) | 4 | 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2007–08 | ||
| Regional | Copa Catalunya Femenina | 10 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013 |
| Copa Generalitat | 1 | 1985 | 1984, 1986 |
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Other Awards
| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| IFFHS Women's World's Best Club | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| IFFHS Women's UEFA Best Club | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Ballon d'Or – Women's Club of the Year | 2023, 2024 |
| Globe Soccer Awards – Best Women's Club of the Year | 2021, 2023, 2024 (Eu), 2024 |
| World Soccer Magazine – Women's World Team of the Year | 2021, 2024 |
Team Records
- Highest unofficial attendance at a women's football match: 60,000 fans (December 25, 1970). This was for the game between Barcelona and UE Centelles at the Camp Nou.
- Highest salary for a female footballer:
- €1 million (2024; Aitana Bonmatí)
- Highest attendance at a women's football domestic league match:
- 60,739 fans (March 17, 2019). This was for the game between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona at the Metropolitano Stadium.
- Most consecutive victories in all competitions: 45 wins (from June 6, 2021, to April 22, 2022).
- Most consecutive victories in league competition: 62 wins (from June 6, 2021, to May 6, 2023).
- Highest official attendance at a women's football match:
- 91,553 fans (March 30, 2022). This was for the game between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
- 91,648 fans (April 22, 2022). This was for the game between Barcelona and Wolfsburg at Camp Nou.
- Most expensive transfer of a women's footballer: €470,000 (September 7, 2022). This was for Keira Walsh moving from Manchester City to Barcelona.
- Largest traveling fan group for a women's football match: 40,000 fans (May 25, 2024). This was for the Champions League final between Barcelona and Lyon at the San Mamés Stadium.
Current Players
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Players from the Reserve Team
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Players on Loan
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Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
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| Head coach | Pere Romeu |
| Assistant coach | Rafel Navarro |
| Fitness coach | Berta Carles Jacob González |
| Goalkeeping coach | Oriol Casares |
| FC Barcelona Femení B coach | Òscar Belis |
Last updated: 21 June 2024
Source: FC Barcelona
Managers Through the Years
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Images for kids
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Barcelona celebrating their 2011 Copa Catalunya win
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The official record attendance for a women's football match was set at Camp Nou on 22 April 2022, with 91,648 people watching Barcelona defeat Wolfsburg 5–1.
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Barcelona Femení supporters at Plaça Sant Jaume in 2023
See also
In Spanish: Fútbol Club Barcelona (femenino) para niños
