WHERE TO WATCH (JOIN A PENYA)
So you are a supporter of FC Barcelona. You are a Culer, the nickname given to supports of the club. Then when you get a group of Culers together and get that group recognized by the club, you have a Penya. There are around 1,270 official Penyes around the world, and there is a good chance you have one that would love to have you.
Penyes have been around for almost as long as the club. It was first mentioned around the club in 1919, when a group of supporters requested use of the facilities for a dance. However, it wasn’t until 1944 with the Penya Solera that the first official supporters club for FC Barcelona was recognized. Other groups in Catalonia followed has the game itself began to get more global. The success of Johan Cruyff and the Dream Team helped usher in a new era of Penyes, as support for FC Barcelona grew throughout Spain. In the midst of winning four La Liga titles and the club’s first European Cup, the club almost doubled its official penyes, going from 590 to over a thousand. The next explosion of support went international come in the 21st century. Pep Guardiola, Lionel Messi, and the ability to watch Barcelona matches on your phone almost anywhere in the world coincided with official penyes now being recognized all across the world, with new supporters groups being officially recognized by the club every year.
In case I haven’t showcased your closet Penya, you can find your nearby supporters group via this map from the club!
If the map isn’t your thing, make sure to check out the official Supporters Club page through FC Barcelona. – HERE
