Barcelona could make new MLS bid

Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu claims that Barcelona hasn't excluded the possibility of starting a franchise team in the Major League Soccer, the American football league.

A Barcelona board member confirmed to the paper that, after the failed Miami bid (read more here), Barcelona could try again later, although it won't happen soon:

"We have to be sure that Barça won't have to pay one euro. And that's difficult. We have to select our partner carefully. And the city as well. Miami was a bad choice."

Read more:
Barcelona could invest in Philadelphia MLS team
Barcelona not excluding MLS franchise
Barcelona will probably return to US next year

Barcelona will probably return to US next year

Spanish news agency EFE claims that Barcelona will most probably return to the United States for a new summer tour next year.

Some of the sponshorship deals Barcelona has been negotiating during the past tour were related to the sponsoring of new summer tours in the United States, and everything would indicate that Barcelona will already return to the US next summer.

Read more:
Looking back at a successful tour
Barcelona will return to Asia

Looking back at a successful tour

(source: fcbarcelona.cat)





FC Barcelona's trip to the United States proved to be a success both on the pitch and off the pitch.

Full stadiums
Attendances at all three of the team's matches were incredible and it all started in Los Angeles when 93,317 people turned up to the Rose Bowl to watch Pep Guardiola's team take on Los Angeles Galaxy. A record crowd and a figure that has not been seen since the World Cup Finals were held in the United States in 1994.

In the second match in Seattle it was difficult to see an empty seat in the Qwest Field Stadium as 66,848 fans attended the encounter against the Sounders. The third and final match against Chivas de Guadalajara saw 62,572 watch in a packed Candlestick Park in San Francisco. With a total of 221,557 spectators watching the three games, FC Barcelona attracted an average of 73,852 people.

Helping the causes
Away from the field, FC Barcelona were able to tie up deals with companies and organisations to help support their causes. One such instance was the agreement with the MLS to help with the Malaria No More campaign. Guardiola and the players helped out attending for example the Montalban Theatre in Los Angeles.

Seattle visits
As well as training and attending social commitments, the Barça players had some fun as they visited sights of interest. One of the most popular trips was to Microsoft headquarters in Seattle where they visited the House of the Future. In the same city, Lionel Messi went to the top of the Space Needle and had his photo taken.

read the full and original report here


Read more:
The economic impact of the US tour
Barcelona intensifies commitment to fight malaria
Barcelona visits Microsoft headquarters

Barcelona will return to Asia

Speaking to the club's official media, Barcelona marketing vice-president Jaume Ferrer has confirmed that Barcelona will soon return to Asia:

"Now we are back in the USA because after the treble and thanks to the interest in MLS, the American market offers high expectations and we have been able to charge as much for games as we did in Asia. In the future, FC Barcelona will probably alternate their tours between America and Asia, where we will certainly will return."

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona wanted to return to Asia this summer and the plans for a tour would already have been concrete.

But when Barcelona received a new proposal from the organizers of the tour in the United States, who raised their bid from a fixed fee of 1,1 million dollars to a fee of 1,9 million dollars for each game, Barcelona would have decided to change the plans last minute.

Read more:
2010 summer tour in Asia

FC Barcelona flying with rented airplane

FC Barcelona has rented an airplane and a cabin crew from Finnish airline Finnair including 13 persons for it's US tour. Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat writes that the MD-11 has been used on Asian routes.

The airplane has 36 business class seats, so every player gets to sit comfortably. But the on flight schedule is strict and well-planned. After one and a half hour got to eat a chicken-pasta, and after that they had to rest for three hours. After the rest the players once again got to eat, now corn flakes, yoghurt, toast and fresh fruits, and then got to sleep for two more hours. When they woke up, they had to manage to the rest of the trip with a roastbeef meal.

The plane lifted from Helsinki on Tuesday, with the Barça emblems on it's side. Finnair's head of communications Taneli Hassinen tells the newspaper when asked that the price is a deal between Finnair and FC Barcelona. Still sources to the newspaper claims that the price is about 300000-400000 euros.

Barcelona closing sponsorship deals in the US

Barcelona marketing vice-president Jaume Ferrer has said in an interview with the club's official media that sporting success has a big influence on the interest companies show in Barça.

Therefore, FC Barcelona is able to take advantage of the current situation to create links with some of the biggest companies located in the United States: "On this tour we have held several meetings with some very important company directors. Some of them are looking to settle forms of sponsoring FC Barcelona this very year."

The United States have become a major target area for FC Barcelona, to the extent that the club even has a marketing team based in New York: "We know that a large part of the club's growth in recent years has been because of the international market, so we are working hard to position the brand in the global market."

read more here

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Laporta supports salary cap
Sponsorship deal with Arab telecom company
FCB Finance Report

Barcelona not excluding MLS franchise

Although negotiations to start a new team in Miami failed last year (read more here), Barcelona president Joan Laporta has told journalists in the United States that the club is still looking at options to have a franchise in the American football league:

"The project is still open. In our strategy in the States, we're trying to develop grass roots. We're trying to get a franchise in MLS and to develop our image with campaigns in merchandising and marketing.

I had a lot of conversations with MLS. In these meetings, I learned a lot of things, especially in marketing. They are working very well in this direction. I'd also be delighted to have an American playing on my team. It would be great. I think it's important for us as a global brand, a global club, to have players from everywhere."

Read more:
FCB Miami: Bid for MLS team withdrawn
Marketing vice-president Ferrer on MLS franchise

Barcelona's seventh visit to the United States

(source: fcbarcelona.cat)


Barcelona's 2009 US tour follows on from six previous ones held in 1937, 1969, 1984, 2003, 2006 and 2008.

In 1937, in the midst of the Spanish Civil War, FC Barcelona crossed the Atlantic for a tour that began in Mexico and ended in the US. After playing nine games in Mexico in June, July and August, Barça, then coached by Irishman Patrick O'Connell, went to the US to play four more games in New York.

The Big Apple hosted FC Barcelona again in the summer of 1969, with the club playing two games against Juventus. The last game of the tour was against a world all-stars side.

In the early 80s, the side coached by Argentine César Luis Menotti played two games in the Transatlantic Cup against the New York Cosmos and Brazilian outfit Fluminense. Between 2003 and the trip that began this week, Barça have toured the US four times in six years.

read the full and original story here


Read more:
Top ten most official Barcelona appearances
1983: Maradona gets seriously injured

Treble will travel to England and United States

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona will take with them the trophies that were won last year when they will travel abroad during the pre-season.

The trophies of the Liga, the Copa and the Champions League will be shown to the public in England and the United States.

Read more:
Ticket sales for US friendlies going well
Where will Barcelona stay during training camp?

Ticket sales for US friendlies going well

Barcelona's official website reports that already over 100 000 tickets have been sold for the three games Barcelona will play in the United States next month.

Barcelona will go on tour in the US from Wednesday 29 July to Sunday 9 August and will play three friendly games: against Los Angeles in Pasadena on 1 August, against Seattle Sounders in Seattle on 5 August and against Chivas Guadalajara on 9 August.

The game in Seattle is almost sold out, while for the other two games around one third of the capacity of the stadium has been sold:

- Los Angeles Galaxy, Rose Bowl: 34 000 tickets sold (91 000 seats)
- Seattle Sounders, Qwest: 62 500 tickets sold (67 000 seats)
- Chivas Guadalajara, Candlestick: 22 300 tickets sold (70 000 seats)

Read more:
Summer games calendar
Possible future friendly game in Kuwait
Pre-season tour in United States confirmed

How to get a ticket for the Chivas game?

Tickets for the pre-season friendly Barcelona will play against Chivas Guadalajara on 8 August at 8 pm (local time) will be available from Monday 22 June at 10 am.

The game will be played at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. A ticket includes the Major League Soccer game between Columbus Crew and San José Earthquakes, that starts at 5:30 pm.


you can order tickets online through tickets.com

Barcelona to play Chivas in San Francisco

Barcelona has announced that the team will play the third game of the American tour in San Francisco against Mexican league team Chivas.

The pre-season match will be played on Sunday 9 August (8 August, 8 pm local time) at Candlestick Park, the stadium of American football team San Francisco 49ers.

Two and a half hours before the start of the game, MLS teams Columbus Crew and San José Earthquakes will play a game at the same stadium.

Read more:
Third game US tour against Chivas
Summer camps in Florida, Georgia and New Jersey
Pre-season tour in United States confirmed

Third game US tour against Chivas

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona will play their third game of the summer tour in the United States against American Major League Soccer team Chivas.

The game will be played on 8 or 9 August in a city near San Francisco yet to be confirmed but presumably Oakland (read more here).



Read more:
Pre-season tour in United States confirmed
Summer games calendar
Pre-season will start in London

Barcelona will play third US game in Oakland

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona will play their third game in the US Tour in Oakland, California.

There hasn't yet been closed a final deal with an opponent but it's very likely that Barcelona will face Club Deportivo Chivas.

Barcelona announced earlier this month that the team will play on Saturday 1 August against Los Angeles Galaxy in Pasadena and on Wednesday 5 August against Seattle Sounders in Seattle (read more here).

Barcelona will go on tour in the US at the end of July and the beginning of August. The dates of the games could still change because Barcelona manager wants to stay as few days as possible. The calendar will be defintely established in the coming days. For the three games, Barcelona will receive a fee of close to 6 million euro net. The organizers of the tour will have to pay a bonus because of the trophies won by the club this season.

Read more:
Pre-season tour in United States confirmed
Pre-season will start in London

Summer camps in Florida, Georgia and New Jersey

Football marketing company Transworld Soccer organizes this summer for the second time the FC Barcelona soccer camps 2009 in the United States.

After a successful soccer camp in Miami, Florida last year, two new places have been added: Atlanta, Georgia and Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey.

Six camps will be organized in June and July for boys and girls aged between 6 and 16, who will train for five days under the direction of FC Barcelona School coaches.

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A touch of Barcelona in India
Pre-season tour in United States confirmed
Barcelona coaches instruct Vietnamese children

Pre-season tour in United States confirmed

Barcelona has today officially announced that the team will do a pre-season tour in the United States in the summer.

Barcelona will play three friendly games on the West Coast in the first week of August. The pre-season trip will probably start on Wednesday 29 July and last until Sunday 9 August.

On Saturday 1 August, Barcelona will play against Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (11 pm local time). On Wednesday 5 August, the team will face Seattle Sounders at the Qwest Field in Seattle (10:30 pm local time). The opponent and the place of the third game haven't yet been decided and will be announced shortly.

read more about the tour here


Read more:
Pre-season will start in London
Barcelona to play three friendly games in the US
Swine flu could lead to tour in Asia instead of US

Swine flu could lead to tour in Asia instead of US

Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio claims that the outbreak of the swine flu in North America could have an influence of Barcelona's pre-season plans.

Barcelona has two offers on the table to play friendly games: the United Sates or Asia. Until now Barcelona seemed to prefer the American option because of financial reasons. The club would receive two million euro for each game played in the US, which was superior to the amounts offered by Asian organizers.

Barcelona first vice-president Alfons Godall had said after a board meeting last week that the club is planning a tour and that the United States was at that moment the most likely option: "No deal has been signed yet. We're analyzing several options but the most probable thing is that the tour will be in the United States."

Barcelona would have planned to play three friendly games in New York, Seattle and California, but the tour could now be cancelled because of the spreading of the swine flu. The Barcelona executives who are negotiating the tour in the US would have been ordered to stop the talks if the situation gets worse. This would leave Barcelona with Asia as only one option for the tour.

Catalan sports apper Sport claims that Barcelona had already signed a pre-agreement to play a friendly game against Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds, the former club of Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain, between 5 and 10 August and most probably in Tokio. A new offer from the United States seemed to have left this agreement without effect but this could now again change.

Barcelona has also offers to play pre-season matches in China and South Korea. The club would at least try to close deals on two games in Asia (read more here). For each game, Barcelona would receive a fee of at least 2 million euro. This amount could get higher if Barcelona would win the Champions League later this month.

Read more:
Barcelona reconsidering pre-season tour
Chinese youngsters visit Barcelona
Barcelona plans new US tour in 2009

Barcelona to play three friendly games in the US

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims, based upon Major League Soccer sources, that Barcelona will play three friendly games in the United States this summer (read more here).

The three pre-season matches would be played in Miami against a yet unknown opponent (end of July), in Los Angeles against LA Galaxy (Saturday 1 August) and in Seattle against Seattle Sounders (beginning of August).

With the internationals exprected to join the group at the end of July, the wole squad would travel to the US, although club sources still don't exclude that in the end the tour will go to Asia and the Middle East. In May 2008, Barcelona signed an agreement with the MLS that the club would play at least six games in the United States during the coming five years. Two of those games were already played last summer, in Chicago and New York.

Read more:
Barcelona could play two games in Seattle
Barcelona could invest in Philadelphia MLS team
Barcelona reconsidering pre-season tour

Barcelona reconsidering pre-season tour

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona is reconsidering the 2009-2010 pre-season. An official announcement is expected soon.

Barcelona had plans for a tour in the United States, playing games in Seattle, Los Angeles and Miami (read more here), but this could change due to the withdrawal of the bid for an MLS team in Miami last month, the deals that has been signed to play friendly games in Asia and the Middle East and the club’s renewed focus on China and Japan.

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola would also have asked to do the tour first and then start the real built-up to the new season. The pre-season calendar will anyhow not be definitely fixed before Barcelona knows if the team will have to play the Spanish and/or European super cup in the summer.

Read more:
Plans for new US tour confirmed
FCB Miami: Bid for MLS team withdrawn
Barcelona plans new US tour in 2009

Interview with marketing vice-president Ferrer (2)

Barcelona marketing vice-president Jaume Ferrer gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





At what phase is the American football franchise? (note: the interview dates from before the announcement of the withdrawal of the MLS bid)
The people at MLS will contact us soon if they accept that and the conditions that we have asked. And there are many.

MLS is sponsored by Adidas and Barca wears Nike. Is that a conflict of interests?
Nike also sees it as an opportunity, but it's something that needs resolving, of course. We can't do anything unless Nike also agrees.

And how will it be solved?
It may be that the team won't wear the Barca crest or that it won't be called Barca, or won't have our colors... All of this we will consider and we will analyze once they give us the franchise.

It won't take off until 2010...
And that would already be soon. We need to create the club, find the players... it's a long process. Once we get the franchise, we will always have it.

Why the USA?
We know how to make the club grow past the 450 or 500 million euros worth of income. After this, the ideas end. The only way is from a strong international expansion. We've always thought that the USA is one of the places where we can grow the most.

You think so?
There are 40 million Hispanics that like football, there are television channels that specialize in it - ESPN and FOX - and it's the country where the world's most important companies are.

Within a year and a few months, the elections for the presidency of FC Barcelona will take place. Will the current club board present your candidacy?
I think that our management that we've done has been very positive. We are willing to continue and we need to present a candidate with a serious project. And that will be decided within the next few months. We'll keep on working for the club and we will prepare ourselves in similar fashion.

Laporta won't be able to present himself. A candidate must be from the actual board...
There are many members of the board, more than two, three or four, that will make great presidents of FC Barcelona.

Is Jaume Ferrer preparing himself for being president of Barca?
I see myself working for FC Barcelona, within a directive board, with much hope. After that I don't see myself doing anything.

And have your fellow members asked you?
It's something that I woult then definitely think about but we'll see what happens. Right now we can't make any prediction but we should think about finishing the season in the best way possible. We can't distract ourselves from all of this.

What must a Barca president have?
He must be a person capable of handling pressure and must have very clear ideas.

How will Joan Laporta be judged after a few years?
History will recognize Laporta as one of the best presidents that FC Barcelona has had. All you have to look at is how the club was and how it is now. In 2003 it was losing money, and now we make more than we spend. We had a roster that couldn't qualify for the Champions Leage and now it's fighting for titles. From 100,000 socios we now have more than 160,000. And most importantly, we have recovered the pride in being a Barcelonist.

Translated by: Al


This was the second part of this interview. You can read the first part here:
Interview with marketing vice-president Ferrer