Thank you, Palau
The Palau Blaugrana is much more than a sports arena. It is the heart and soul of FC Barcelona's pro indoor sports teams, and has a very special kind of energy that has driven the team to victory in the face of so many adversities over the years. Teams dread coming here, where the iconic dome generates a very special kind of noise that has a habit of unnerving visitors and spurring the home side to bring out their very best.
Magical venue
The handball team has been as exceptional as ever this season, winning all seven major trophies, but in general 2023-24 hasn't been the best of campaigns for the other three sides. Not that this has prevented unprecedented numbers of supporters from coming to the pavilion to get behind their teams, and give that extra bit of energy to such idols as Laprovittola, Lozano, Panadero and Frade.
Key factor
In basketball, the EuroLeague playoff against Olympiacos particularly caught the imagination. The fifth and deciding game drew the biggest crowd of the season to the Palau, 7,742 people.
The handball team are always a magnet for Barça supporters, and the key Champions League playoff against PSG was watched by a crowd of 5,467. The roller hockey team attracted a similar number of 5,136 for their comeback attempt against Sporting Lisbon in the quarter finals of the WSE Champions League, the largest attendance this century for that sport.
Futsal was not too far behind, with 4,433 people in the arena for the derby against Industrias Santa Coloma, the biggest crowd for that sport since the doors reopened after the pandemic.
