Camp Nou (“New Field”) is the home of Barça – FC Barcelona (Futbol Club Barcelona), Barcelona’s football team. The stadium is open to the public and is a major tourist attraction of the city.
I went with my colleagues on the last day of our conference in Barcelona. The camp is located not far from the city center.
The club is owned by its supporters. According to Wikipedia in 2013:
It is the world’s second-richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of $613 million and the third most valuable, worth $2.6 billion.
There was no tour guide. We just walked along a marked path through the building and along the pitch. Occasionally, we see a guard to prevent people from straying.
The motto “Més que un club” means “More than a club” and reflects the club’s role in the identity of Catalan culture.
The building of Camp Nou commenced on 28 March 1954, took three years and ended on 24 September 1957. It was last renovated in 2005. It has a capacity of 99,354 making it the largest stadium in Europe, 11th in the world.
We toured their changing room – it looked a bit spartan given its status. We all doubted if the team really use it, maybe it is used by the visiting team.
Hot tub and showers.
Prayers before and after the game! This chapel is located just steps from the ramp leading up to the pitch.
Next to the chapel is a TV studio.
Commentator’s box at the top.
The stadium houses the club museum which shows hundreds of clips of matches on demand.
Camp Nou has been used for many concerts – including U2, Three Tenors, Michael Jackson. The pope John Paul II celebrated mass in 1992.
On display in the club museum are the various trophies the team won over the years, since its founding in 1899.
A fan souvenir store lies at the end of the tour. Just outside the store are these giant posters of the team’s current players. In 2013, according to Wikipedia:
The all-time highest goalscorer for Barcelona in all official competitions is Lionel Messi with 327 goals. He is also the record goalscorer for Barcelona in European and international club competitions and the record league scorer with 223 goals in La Liga.
Nike, Qatar airways, Audi are the major sponsors – can’t miss them really.
In 2000, fans were polled concerning the stadium’s name. Of the 29,102 votes the club received, a total of 19,861 (68.25%) preferred Camp Nou to Estadi del FC Barcelona, and thus the official name was changed to the popular nickname.