Tomorrow, FC Barcelona will host Athletic for a special match. The Blaugranas will indeed sign their return to their cocoon, after more than two years of work which is not completely finished. News that had been expected for months, since the return was planned for last season, but delays on the construction site and various administrative problems delayed everything. And obviously, the leaders and supporters are delighted with this return. First, for the symbolic side, obviously, since finding your home always provides special feelings. There is also a practical dimension since the matches at Montjuic were, for many, quite painful, particularly because the Barcelona Olympic stadium was a little difficult to access, at least from the heart of the city.
A little cold, with the stands quite far from the pitch, Montjuic was quite impersonal and the Barcelona supporters never felt completely at home there. Certainly, the Camp Nou has never been a cauldron with boiling supporters, but it still has a special and unique identity, and the players have also highlighted a glaring difference in atmosphere between the two arenas. An element that can come into play, particularly in high-stakes matches and these big European evenings. The Catalan club has also done everything to improve the experience of supporters, who will find a stadium more convenient and comfortable than Montjuic and even the old Camp Nou.
A big financial boost
On the leadership side, we are rubbing our hands. The main consequence of this return home is obviously financial. This season, Barça estimates that its stadium will bring in 226 million euros. This is 51 million more than last season, knowing that the club will not have played all the matches at the Camp Nou and that not all the stands will be open to the public. “Only” 45,000 people are expected tomorrow. The club will no longer have to pay the rent for MontjuĂŻc – 25 million euros have been spent in total – and the return to Camp Nou will therefore boost ticketing revenues with many more seats and more expensive ones at that, but also on a commercial level, since the sale of merchandising from the stadium store has always been very profitable for Barcelonans. Just like the different VIP and catering zones present in the stadium will make the stadium a real cash machine.
The organization of events such as concerts or sporting events in this new look Camp Nou should also boost Barcelona’s finances, a bit like the BernabĂ©u in Madrid which has just hosted an NFL match. For example, Real Madrid pocketed a sum of between 8 and 10 million euros just by leaving its stadium to the American football league. Seeing beyond the spectrum of football is also Barça’s objective with its Camp Nou. Additional income which, at least that is what the club’s staff hopes, will soon allow us to forget the many financial problems experienced in recent years…
