Founding of FC Barcelona 1899

Lore & Background

The club was formed in 1970 with some financial and logistical support from FC Barcelona, but without being an official section. In its inaugural season it competed in matches against other Catalan teams; it was originally known as Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona before taking the name Peña Femenina Barcelonista in 1971. Shortly after women's football was officially recognised in Spain, the team became known as Club Femení Barcelona in 1983 until 2002, when it officially became a section of FC Barcelona and took the official name Futbol Club Barcelona.

In Their Own Story

Gas lamps flickered against the stone walls of Gimnàs Solé, casting long, dancing shadows across the wooden floorboards. Eleven men stood in a loose circle, breath misting in the cool November air as Hans Gamper held up a crumpled draft—the club's first constitution. Despite the language barrier that separated Swiss, English, and Catalan speakers, his voice cut through the room: 'We are not just a team,' he declared, switching fluidly between tongues. 'We are a club for this city.' A murmur of agreement rippled through the group as hands clasped in a pact of friendship, unaware they were sealing a bond that would echo across a century.

Reader's Guide

Domestically, Barcelona Femení is the most successful Spanish women's team, with eleven league titles, twelve Copas de la Reina, and six Supercopas, as well as eleven Copas Catalunyas. It also won the previous second tier of Spanish women's football a record four times after battling relegation and fighting for promotion throughout the 2000s. Since the club's professionalisation in 2015, Barcelona has cemented itself as Spain's dominant women's football team, becoming the league's most successful team in the UEFA Women's Champions League, and one of the most successful women's football teams in Europe. It won the Champions League in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2026; with its first Champions League title, Barcelona became the first (and only) Spanish women's team to complete a continental treble, and with its third Champions League win, they became the first (and only) Spanish women's team to complete a continental quadruple.

Did You Know?

• The team played its first match on Christmas Day 1970, winning on penalties against Unió Esportiva Centelles in front of a crowd of around 60,000 people.
• The team was created after footballer Immaculada Cabecerán approached the club with the proposition in November 1970.
• The team became known as Club Femení Barcelona in 1983 until 2002, when it officially became a section of FC Barcelona and took the official name Futbol Club Barcelona.