Barça-PortAventura adventurous partnership

Article posted by Coliseum, October 31^st, 2023

Image: FC Barcelona

The LaLiga team FC Barcelona and PortAventura World (theme park in Spain) have decided to join forces so they can pool their experience and knowledge to explore the feasibility of developing new physical entertainment projects and themed experiences.

‘FC Barcelona’ stated that this strategic partnership aims to build synergies and generate new emotions to help both parties to reach new global audiences.

The Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in LaLiga, the top flight of Spanish football.

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The under-renovation Camp Nou, branded as Spotify Camp Nou for sponsorship reasons, is the home of the LaLiga club FC Barcelona since its completion in 1957. With a current seating capacity of 99,354, it is the stadium with the largest capacity in Spain and Europe, and the fifth largest football stadium in the world.

Since their residence the Spotify Camp Nou is undergoing major renovation, the FC Barcelona is playing at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Spain. The club will play all of its home matches at this location for the 2023-2024 seasons.

The 55,926-capacity Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 International Exposition in the City, it was renovated in 1989 to be the main stadium for the 1992 Summer Olympics and the 1992 Summer Paralympics.

The PortAventura World is a theme park in Spain. It’s located in the municipalities of Vila-Seca and Salou, in the province of Tarragona, on the Costa Daurada. It’s about 62 miles (100 km) from Barcelona’s City Center. The PortAventura World is Spain’s most-visited theme park. It was inaugurated in 1995.

‘FC Barcelona’ further stated that the first focus area of this strategic collaboration is to study possible entertainment experiences at the future Espai Barça. These would complement the future museum and other commercial and leisure attractions when activity resumes at the Spotify Camp Nou in November 2024. These projects would combine the history and impact of FC Barcelona, its special relationship with the City and its universal outlook, with the PortAventura World’s prestige and knowledge in the development of theme parks.

The Espai Barça project work on which is underway is a large-scale infrastructure redevelopment project to improve (and expand) all of FC Barcelona’s infrastructure including their training facilities, the Spotify Camp Nou Stadium, Palau Blaugrana, and the club’s offices as well as the commercial and leisure facilities.

The Palau Blaugrana is an arena in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, belonging to FC Barcelona. The 7,585-seating capacity arena is home to the basketball, handball, roller hockey, and futsal divisions of FC Barcelona. The Palau Blaugrana is located in the same complex that houses the Spotify Camp Nou Stadium.

The two organizations are also teaming up to create a working group that will study projects on an international scale, such as the opening of specific entertainment areas and larger format theme parks under the FC Barcelona brand. The former would combine interactive, educational and entertainment experiences with different themed attractions, catering services and merchandizing outlets, mostly in indoor spaces between 500 and 2,000 m², while the latter envisages the development of large-scale theme parks (over 7 Ha), centered around attractions, restaurants, shops, museums, shows, and other associated services.

These projects would combine the history of FC Barcelona with PortAventura World’s experience and knowledge in the development of theme parks, as demonstrated by its existing parks: PortAventura, FerrariLand and Caribe Aquatic Park.

The PortAventura World is a leading holiday destination – with 5.2 million visitors in 2022 – providing unforgettable experiences for the whole family. Considered one of the best theme parks in the world, its commitment to innovation and leisure is a constant feature of its bid to continue leading the leisure industry.

Remarked Juli Guiu, Vice-President of the FC Barcelona Marketing Area, “This partnership with the PortAventura World is part of FC Barcelona’s strategic project to explore new ways of generating resources within the entertainment industry. It is in the spirit of this Board of Directors to be imaginative so that FC Barcelona finds formulas to maximize the brand’s potential worldwide. To do so with a travel companion with such experience and roots in the territory as Port Aventura is for us one of the biggest guarantees of success.”

Enthused Arturo Mas-Sardá, President of PortAventura World’s Administrative Board, “We are excited to announce the new partnership between FC Barcelona and PortAventura World to create a unique entertainment area. This agreement is another step in PortAventura World’s continued diversification into the football and sports sector, as demonstrated by its successful previous alliances with various clubs and the establishment of a joint venture with LaLiga. We firmly believe that this new and challenging project will not only strengthen the names of FC Barcelona and PortAventura World, but will also provide visitors with unforgettable experiences that combine fun and passion for sport. Together, we’re poised to take the crossover between sports and entertainment to new heights.”

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