With a firm commitment to diversity, equality and inclusivity, and to coincide with International Women's Day on 8 March, FC Barcelona has implemented a number of actions regarding equality and the importance of raising awareness about women in society and sport.
The 'Equality is in our colours' slogan first came to the fore a year ago and is here to stay. It arose as the Club's original blue and maroon colours were blended to produce the 'Lila Barça' colour. That colour is now part of the blaugrana DNA as a symbol of equality and forms the inspiration for the International Women's Day campaign, which this year focuses specifically on future generations, and the slogan has been adapted to become ‘Equality is in our colours. Empowering future generations’.
With the aim of connecting with the younger generation to raise awareness about equality, the Club has collaborated with notable Catalan designer and blaugrana fan, María Escoté, with the ‘Equality is in our colours. Empowering future generations' concept materialising in an exclusive unisex T-shirt. The T-shirt has a young and daring lifestyle design, with Escoté - whose designs have been worn by international artists such as Beyonce and Rosalía - bringing her own special touch to it, the blended colours providing the base, with a combination of different techniques used. The T-shirt will not go on sale to the public, but it will be a protagonist during the key FC Barcelona online and in-person initiatives during March to coincide with International Women's Day to spread the message to millions of people about supporting equality. Furthermore, the T-shirt's style will form the basis for other merchandising items that will go on sale, such as tote bags.
‘Equality is in our colours. Empowering future generations' will feature at a number of games in March, both at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and Estadi Johan Cruyff, as well as at the Palau Blaugrana. The initiative will premiere on Friday at Montjuïc, when the men's football first team host Mallorca for the LaLiga matchday 28 fixture. It will again feature on 9 March at the Palau Blaugrana for the Liga Plenitude matchday 21 handball game against Ángel Ximénez - PG and the LNFS matchday 23 futsal fixture against Mallorca Palma Futsal, before again on 14 March for the EuroLeague matchday 29 fixture against Partizan Mozzart Bet. The final date will be 14 March at Estadi Johan Cruyff, when Barça Women take on Athletic Club in the Copa de la Reina semifinal return leg. The campaign will also be in force on 10 March for the LF Endesa game that sees Barça CBS play Movistar Estudiantes at the Palau Municipal d'Esports Juan Carlos Navarro.
The Club's partners will also join the initiative to raise awareness about women in football, adopting the ‘Lila Barça’ colour. Nike, Spotify, Ambilight, 1xBet, Konami, Whitebit, Estrella Damm, Cupra, Bimbo, Allianz, Stanley, Prime, Caixabank, Scotiabank, Sk lubricants, Assistència Sanitària, Rilastil, Sebang, BMG, Rappi, Daka and GLS will all include the colour in their advertising on the LED pitch side boards during games.
CF Tramontana La Mina, the social impetus for the initiative
This campaign will also have a social impact via the FC Barcelona Foundation. The commemorative T-shirt for this year's 8 March event will be given to the players and administrators of CF Tramontana La Mina, as recognition for their work to promote women's sport and raise awareness about the women's football team that was created in the La Mina neighbourhood. The team are a true example of overcoming adversity and they aim to do away with all social, cultural and gender-based stigmas.
In addition to the T-shirt, all profits from the sales of the tote bag designed by Maria Escoté will go to CF Tramontana La Mina in order to continue promoting neighbourhood girls participating in sports. The tote bag will retail for €6.99 at the Barça Stores at Spotify Camp Nou, Canaletes and Passeig de Gràcia. And also at the e-commerce.
Special activity for AJ FCB Femenino via the Barça Foundation for International Women's Day
The FC Barcelona Players Group women's team took part in a very special session called One Team on 5 March as part of the programme for young people in young offenders' institutes, organised by the FC Barcelona Foundation at the Quatre Camins young offenders' institute (La Roca del Vallès).
10 former Barça Women players and a dozen inmates participated in the programme, who themselves had requested to play a game against the blaugrana veterans.
A leading club in the move towards equality in both society and the world
This aspiring campaign for International Women's Day is not just a one-off action, but rather part of a set of initiatives promoted by different areas of the Club that aim to reach different audiences.
One of the core events will be the participatory session, which under the slogan "Equality is in our colours. Empowering future generations”, will see the involvement of Club members, the founders of Barça's women's football, female youth players, and Vice president for the Institutional area, Elena Fort. The event will take place at 6.30pm CET on 11 March in Auditori 1899.
The previous day, 10 March, will see a session of inclusive football for women at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper - one of the events organised by the FC Barcelona Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity Department. The event will see the Fundació Barça Genuine team play two friendly matches at the same time against the Futsal Vic-Calldetenes and OAR Vic women's senior sides.
A history of support and recognition for over half a century
FC Barcelona is a pioneering club when it comes promoting women in sport, with efforts focused on progressing equality and driving women's participation in sport, alongside the commitment to women's sport that goes back over 50 years, particularly with women's football.
In addition to the everyday activities run by the different departments, FC Barcelona created the Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity department three years ago, which ensures that these values form part of the Club's general strategy. The department organises sessions to educate about unconscious biases and gender equality, is involved when new additions are welcomed, and coordinates awareness activities for the Club's workers in order to promote respect for diversity and equality. They also created the FC Barcelona guideline to inclusive and non-sexist communication, which is constantly updated with new information.
Furthermore, this season has seen the Club introduce the new Protocol for preventing and tackling sexual harassment based on gender, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, and numerous in-person educational sessions are being held to inform the Club's entire workforce.