FC Barcelona converts centre circles into women's symbol on International Women's Day
FC Barcelona, firmly committed to equality, diversity and inclusivity, aim to celebrate once again this year International Women's Day on 8 March with an initiative to underline the importance of visibility for women in the world of sport. The Club's has used the pitch markings at its facilities for the first time in their history to create a symbol to represent women.
Under the slogan 'The line that doesn't divide, but unites,' Barça's idea is simple but filled with meaning: create at their facilities the Venus symbol, based on a centre circle and a cross below, taking advantage of the centre circles on the field of play and adding a line perpendicular to the one that separated the two halves.
As such, Camp Nou, the Estadi Johan Cruyff, the training pitches at the Ciutat Esportiva and the Palau Blaugrana will show on 8 March this symbol. The idea saw help come in the form of Alexia Putellas, Pedri and Àlex Abrines as representatives of the Club's sportsmen and women. The three Barça players played a part in the painting of the line at Camp Nou, the Estadi Johan Cruyff and the Palau with which Barça wish to promote and publicise the role of women in the world of sport.
Furthermore, this show of support on such an important has also moved to the streets of Barcelona. As such, the facade of a building on one of city's main thoroughfares, Via Laietana, will be covered with the women's symbol at Camp Nou. It is a point where thousands of people pass through every day and so it is an attempt to amplify the message sent by the blaugrana club from its stadia.
A history of support and recognition
FC Barcelona's commitment to promoting the role of women in the world of sport and in wider society is a firm one. That is shown in the work that goes on daily at the Club to promote equality and strengthen the role of women in sport, together with its commitment to women's sport, in particular women's football, which goes back more than 50 years.
As part of the Club's commitment, in the last few months a department of Equality and Inclusivity has been created and it works to strengthen inclusivity and diversity, be it cultural, functional, generational, of gender or sexual orientation within the institution as well as the other collectives which form part of the Barça family. A new area which can be added to the constant improvement in the structure and services surrounding women's sport such as the investment in a new natural grass training pitch at the Ciutat Esportiva so the Barça Women's team can train in optimal conditions.
Moreover, the summer saw two important moments that underline the Club's vision with regards to women's sport. The first of which saw the women's football first team take part in the Joan Gamper Trophy game together with the men's team in a historic edition which took place at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. The second came about at La Masia, the life school at FC Barcelona and one of its flagships around the world which opened its doors to female residents from the youth teams. On 30 March there will be another demonstration of support by the Club when the current European Champions, who have recently released the documentary series Matchday-Queens of the Pitch, will play for the first time at Camp Nou in front of the fans in the game against Real Madrid in the quarter finals of the Champions League.
Using the team's away kit for the 2021/22 season, the Club also wanted to launch a message of support to the empowerment of women via its design. For that reason the colour violet was used - a colour that comes from the mixing of blue and red and which is popularly used in the fight for gender equality - whilst on the side panels the phrase from the Barça anthem ‘Tots units fem força’ can be seen also in its feminine form: ‘Totes unides fem força’.
The Club's support for women's sport can be seen also in the 600 female athletes of all ages who represent Barça in the amateur sections (basketball, volleyball, ice skating, rugby and field hockey). The women's basketball team Barça CBS are leaders of their league and are battling for promotion to the top flight and they made history by playing at the Palau Blaugrana for the first time against Alcobendas.
Women's sport is one of the pillars upon which Barça's unique identity is built and is covered in the slogan of 'More than a Club' for which FC Barcelona is known around the word. A pillar that is presented via the concept 'More than gender', under which the Club brings together all its activities to highlight its commitment to women's football and the role of women in sport.