La Masia now fully mixed

La Masia now really is mixed. On August 1, nine members of the Barça B women’s team became its first female residents in 122 years of history.

Alba Caño, Berta Doltrafill, Clàudia Riumalló, Judit Pujols, Laura Coronado, Lucía Corrales, Martina Fernández, Ona Baradad and Meritxell Font will be doing regular studies while also being trained as footballers.

Record number of residents

These girls represent 8.49% of the 106 athletes in the residence, divided as follows:

• Boys football: 52
• Girls football: 9
• Basketball: 17
• Handball: 11
• Roller hockey: 9
• Futsal: 8

54 are from Catalonia and 36 from other parts of Spain. Eight are from other European countries, while there are six Africans and two from the Americas.

Girls at La Masia

La Masía is thus yet another icon of integration and equality in sport. The nine girls are all from different parts of Catalonia, apart from Lucía Corrales, who’s from Mallorca and has just arrived from Atlético Baleares. She and Berta Doltra (Girona) are the only ones of the nine that have entered the Centro de Formación Oriol Tort that weren’t at the club last season.

Being at La Masía will make it much easier for these girls to combine their academic studies with their sports careers. They will eat in the building and have special dormitories on the third floor. They will also take upper secondary education there, in mixed afternoon classes, while their mornings will be spent training with Barça B on the fields next door at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

This latest step towards equality follows on from events of 2015, when Patri Guijarro became the first girl to take upper secondary at La Masía. Last 16 there were 16 girls, and now there will be nine actually living there – a very necessary and urgent move that is yet more reflection of Barça’s commitment to women’s football and gender equality.