History of FC Barcelona Femení in Timeline
FC Barcelona Femení, or Barça Femení, is the women's football team of FC Barcelona. They compete in Liga F, the highest level of women's football in Spain. Their home games are primarily played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, with occasional matches at Camp Nou or Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The team represents FC Barcelona in women's football.
November 1970: Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona Formed
In November 1970, the "embryo" of Barcelona Femení, the Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona, was formed.
November 1970: Team Creation
In November 1970, the team was created after Immaculada Cabecerán approached the club with the proposition.
1970: Club Formation
In 1970, the club was formed with financial support from FC Barcelona, but without official status, competing as Selecció Ciutat de Barcelona.
1971: First Matches Against Espanyol
In 1971, Barcelona Femení played their first matches against local rivals Espanyol.
1971: Name Change
In 1971, the team changed its name to Peña Femenina Barcelonista.
1971: Name change to Penya Femenina Barça
In early 1971, the women's team changed its name to Penya Femenina Barça (Peña Femenina Barcelonista).
1973: Catalonia-based League Win
In 1973, the Penya Femenina Barça team won the Catalonia-based league.
1975: Decline of women's football
By 1975, the initial strength of women's football in Spain was flagging.
February 1977: Call for Players
In February 1977, P.F. Barcelona had to publish a call for players in the Revista Barcelonista, suggesting a player crisis.
September 1977: No Women's League in Catalonia
By September 1977, there was no longer a women's league in Catalonia.
1978: Catalan Women's league established again
By the 1978–79 season, a Catalan women's league was established again, with a concurrent cup competition.
1979: Runners-up in cup competition
In 1979, P.F. Barcelona Atlético finished as runners-up in the cup competition.
1980: Formal Recognition
In 1980, the Spanish Football Federation formally recognized women's football.
1982: Núria Llansà as Coach
In the 1982–83 season, the team took former player and advocate Núria Llansà as coach.
January 1983: Lack of Training Facilities
In January 1983, Barcelona did not have fixed training facilities or times ahead of the Copa de la Reina.
1983: Name Change
In the 1982-83 season, the team's name changed to Club Femenino/Femení (CF) Barcelona.
1984: Increased FC Barcelona Interest
In 1984, FC Barcelona was thanked for taking a much more sustained interest in women's football.
1985: Copa Generalitat win
In 1985, Barcelona won its first official competition – the Copa Generalitat/Copa Catalana.
1985: Home Games at Mini Estadi
Since at least 1985, the team played most home games at the Mini Estadi.
1988: First League Match Against Espanyol
In 1988, the first league match between Barcelona and Espanyol resulted in a 2–2 draw.
1992: Top Three League Finish
In 1992, Club Femení Barcelona placed in the league top three.
1994: Copa de la Reina Win
In 1994, Club Femení Barcelona won the Copa de la Reina.
2000: Integration into Barcelona Foundation
In 2000, Andreu joined the board of FC Barcelona and brought Club Femení Barcelona into the Barcelona Foundation's structure.
2001: Rebranding to Superliga Femenina
In 2001, the league was rebranded into the Superliga Femenina; however, Barcelona was not accepted into the top division due to financial reasons and placed in the second division.
2002: Segunda División Win
In 2002, Barcelona won its group in the Segunda División.
2002: Official FC Barcelona Section
In 2002, the team officially became a section of FC Barcelona and took the official name Futbol Club Barcelona.
2002: Official Section of FC Barcelona
In the summer of 2002, the FC Barcelona board approved incorporating CF Barcelona as an official section and rebranded the women's section to Futbol Club Barcelona Femení.
2003: Segunda División Win
In 2003, Barcelona won its group in the Segunda División.
2004: Promotion to Superliga Femenina
In 2004, Barcelona was promoted to the Superliga Femenina.
2006: Llorens Restructures the Women's Section
In 2006, Llorens joined FC Barcelona Femení to restructure the women's section of the club.
2006: Restructuring and Manager Change
In 2006, Xavi Llorens was hired as manager to replace Natalia Astrain when the club restructured and significantly reduced the women's section.
2009: Consolidation in Top Positions
Between 2009 and 2011, Barcelona consolidated themselves in top positions in the league table.
April 2011: Winning Streak Begins
In April 2011, Barcelona began a 15-match winning streak, the longest consecutive run in Spanish women's football history by 2015.
December 2011: Winning Streak Ends
In December 2011, Barcelona maintained a 15-match winning streak.
2011: Copa de la Reina Win
In 2011, Barcelona won their second Copa de la Reina, beating Espanyol 1–0 in the final.
September 2012: Unbeaten Run Begins
In September 2012, Barcelona began a 54-game unbeaten run.
2012: Won League on the Last Day
In the 2012–13 season, Barcelona were at one stage 8 points behind Athletic before winning the league on the last day at San Mamés.
2013: League and Copa de la Reina Double
In 2013, Barcelona successfully defended the league and won the Copa de la Reina to become the fifth Spanish women's team to achieve the domestic double.
2013: Champions League Quarterfinals
In the 2013–14 edition, Barcelona qualified for the quarterfinals of the Women's Champions League for the first time.
April 2014: Unbeaten Run Ends
In April 2014, Barcelona concluded a 54-game unbeaten run.
2014: Sponsorship Deal with Stanley Tools
In 2014, Barcelona Femení made a sponsorship deal with Stanley Tools, which allowed them to become professional.
2015: Four Straight League Titles
In the 2014–15 season, Barcelona became the first team in the Spanish women's league to win four straight league titles.
2015: Professionalisation of Women's Section
In the summer of 2015, the club made the decision to professionalise the women's section.
2016: Greater priority on competing in the Champions League
In 2016, Barcelona placed a greater priority on competing in the Champions League, though focused on improving conditions rather than immediately trying to match the level of foreign teams.
2016: Atlético Madrid's challenge
Starting in 2016, Atlético Madrid Femenino became a challenger to Barcelona's success.
2017: Copa de la Reina Final Win & Changes in Team Focus
In 2017, Barcelona beat Atlético in the Copa de la Reina final, marking Llorens' last match as coach. Subsequently, the team shifted its focus from youth development to signing international stars, with Zubizarreta becoming sporting director.
2018: Atlético Wins League Title
Between the 2016–17 and 2018–19 seasons, Atlético won three league titles and in 2018 Barcelona was a runner-up to Atlético.
2018: Shirt Deal with Stanley
In 2018, Barcelona Femení added a shirt deal with Stanley, making Stanley the first shirt sponsor specific to the women's team.
2018: Other Large Clubs Incorporate Women's Sections
In 2018, most other large clubs (i.e. those with historic men's teams) did not incorporate women's sections until 2018 or later, so the other women's teams prior to this were smaller or independent.
2018: Joined Men's Team on Pre-Season Tour
In the summer of 2018, Barcelona Femení joined the men's team on a pre-season tour for the first time, a move that The Guardian recognized as groundbreaking for promoting equality and commercial opportunities in women's football.
January 2019: Lluís Cortés Replaces Fran Sánchez
In January 2019, Lluís Cortés replaced Fran Sánchez as manager. Starting in the summer of 2019, Barcelona aimed to reduce the number of signings each year, returning to the long-term project of homegrown talent as the basis of the team.
March 2019: Record-Breaking Attendance at Wanda Metropolitano
On 17 March 2019, Barcelona defeated Atlético at the Wanda Metropolitano, setting a world record for attendance at a women's club football match with 60,739 attendees.
2019: Runners-up in all Competitions
After having been runners-up in all competitions for two years, the 2019 season ended without a championship.
2019: Moved to Johan Cruyff Stadium
In 2019, the team moved to the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Sant Joan Despí, west of Barcelona.
2020: Real Madrid Incorporates a Women's Section
In 2020, Real Madrid incorporated a women's section.
2020: Alexia Putellas Sweeps Individual Awards
In 2020, captain Alexia Putellas swept all individual awards for two seasons (corresponding to 2020–21 and 2021–22).
2020: Won Four Titles
In the 2019–20 season, Barcelona won four titles, but did not reach the final of the 2019-20 Champions League.
2021: Champions League Win
In 2021, Barcelona won the Champions League, becoming the first Spanish women's team to complete a continental treble.
2021: Alexia Putellas Sweeps Individual Awards
In 2021, captain Alexia Putellas swept all individual awards for two seasons (corresponding to 2020–21 and 2021–22).
2021: Domination in Spain
In the 2021-22 season, Barcelona defeated main rivals Atlético 7–0 in the Supercopa final. That season, they had mathematically won the league by March.
2022: Increased Crowds
By 2022 the team had averaged crowds four times larger than when they played at the Mini Estadi.
2022: Record Attendance
By the time Barcelona Femení successively broke the official world record attendance twice in 2022, the increasing support tracked with global trends but also showed the dedication of the domestic support the team had fostered, in part by having many Catalan players promoted as local stars.
2022: Transfer Fee Record & Attendance Records
In the summer of 2022, Barcelona broke the world record for a transfer fee in women's football to bring Keira Walsh from Manchester City. The team twice set the highest-ever attendance for a women's football match.
2023: Champions League Title
In 2023, Barcelona won another Champions League title.
2024: Defeated Lyon
Ahead of Barcelona defeating them for the first time in 2024, Lyon were called Barcelona's bestia negra.
2024: Barcelona Beats Real Madrid Every Time
By 2024, Barcelona had always beaten Real Madrid.
2024: Barcelona Wins Every Women's Clásico
In 2024, Barcelona has won every women's Clásico.
2024: Champions League Win
In 2024, Barcelona won its third Champions League title, becoming the first Spanish women's team to complete a continental quadruple.
2024: Team Plays For People Who Enjoy Their Way of Playing
In 2024, El Periódico wrote that the team plays for people "who have become hooked on [their] way of playing and understanding football". The same year, authors Jim O'Brien and Xavier Ginesta questioned whether the club itself promoted the women's team in order to be "in the vanguard of genuine change in gender politics" or as a form of brand marketing due to their increased profile and wanting "to breath[e] fresh life into the fading traditions of the club."
2024: Continental Quadruple
In 2024, the Barcelona Femení team completed their first continental quadruple by defeating Lyon 2–0 in the Champions League final, securing their third title in four years.
