Procedure launched to become an FC Barcelona member online from anywhere in the world
FC Barcelona has activated an online membership procedure, whereby anybody anywhere in the world can become a member easily and remotely by filling in a form on the club website.
Barça is a club with roots in its own country, Catalonia, but that bonds fans from all around the planet. This is the club’s way of welcoming on board any fans that would like to share the joy of belonging to such a special club.
Compliance with electoral pledge
This possibility is the current Board of Directors’ way of honouring their vow at the elections to make the club more open and more democratic.
Until last June, with the exception of children under 14, to become a new member, supporters had to come to the club in person and already have a first or second degree relative who was already a member, to have been a member previous for at least two consecutive years, or to have been a member of a supporters club or holder of a commitment card for at least three years.
In June 2021, the Board decided to remove those restrictions and allow any Barça fan to register in person as a member at the Barcelona Supporter Services Office (OAB), but the Club Statutes made it impossible for the transaction to be made remotely or digitally.
At last October’s General Assembly, the Board proposed a modification to the Statutes to make this possible, and the delegate members accepted the motion unanimously. Article 12 now states that “memberships can be registered in person or digitally, using a digital signature or similar security element of the interested party...”
Since then, the club has been developing the IT and control systems required to guarantee that the process functions securely and smoothly, before being able to open up the opportunity for any fan anywhere in the world to become a member.
Opening Barça to the world
The option of registering online is a nod to all those members for whom it is impossible to come to the ground in person, and also boosts FC Barcelona’s global image, with its fans, supporters clubs and academies helping the club to keep growing and fostering the motion of being More than a Club all around the globe.
As of 30 June 2021, Barça officially had 137,514 members, whose geographical spread is as follows:
Barcelona: 55.010
Rest of Catalonia: 72,389
Rest of the world: 10,115
The 1,259 supporters clubs are distributed as follows:
Catalonia: 436
Rest of Spain: 667
Rest of the world: 156
As for fans, studies estimate that the club has more than 300 million worldwide, and 426 million followers on social networks.
Statement by Elena Fort, institutional vice-president of FC Barcelona
“We want to make the Barça family even bigger still. It was a target and commitment of this Board, ratified at the Assembly. What we want is for Barça to grow and to reach around the world. The goal, therefore, is to make this club even greater in the 21st century.”