FC Barcelona celebrates European Diversity Month

Once again, Barça is celebrating European Diversity Month in May, with different activities being promoted by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department. The club is fully committed to the promotion of inclusive communication, and to the recognition of diversity in all its forms (gender, sexual orientation, functional and cultural) and in all areas. Various training sessions, talks and inclusive sports events will be held, both internally and externally, and also in association with organisations that are aligned with the club's values.

Courses, training and tools for Barça workers

FC Barcelona will offer new courses and training. This year the club's workers will have online access to training in Diversity and Inclusion on Unconscious Bias, produced by the Aga Khan Foundation and promoted by the Diversity Foundation and which is part of the Diversity@Work project promoted by the European Commission. The purpose of the training is to promote diversity and equality in the workplace with the aim of identifying unconscious biases and understanding how and why they affect us in our professional relationships and decision-making.  

FC Barcelona's new inclusive and non-sexist Communication Guide will also be presented, the aim of which is to provide a wide variety of recommendations to ensure that communication on the different Barça media is inclusive and respectful of all people and groups. 

Talks and visits at La Masia

La Masia will host a talk on the prevention of LGTBI-phobia, by the non-profit LGTBIQ+ multi-sport association Panteres Grogues, with which the club already has a partnership agreement. Joan Miró, president of Panteres Grogues, will present the event.

La Masia will also receive a visit from a group of young migrants who are part of the NGO Accem, which shares projects with the Barça Foundation, and which will end with a football match at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper between members of the NGO.

Emotional trip by the Barça Foundation to Amsterdam and meeting with the first team

The second European trip by the Barça Foundation will be made this weekend. A month ago they went to Croatia to play in the Special Power League, and they will now have the opportunity to get to know Amsterdam after being invited by the Ajax-Only Friends with whom they will share a morning of football. The meeting is particularly exciting because it will take place exactly half a century after the signing of Johan Cruyff by FC Barcelona, precisely from Ajax. One of the greatest footballers of all time was equally important to both clubs, as a player and as a coach. For this reason, and especially given how senstive Cruyff always was towards people with disabilities, there is no better tribute to him than this meeting between the Barça Foundation and Ajax-Only Friends.

Also, during the second fortnight of May the Barça Foundation team will meet the men's football team and attend one of their training sessions.

Collaborations with committed organisations

This month, an agreement will be signed with the Catalan Association for the Promotion of Deaf People (ACAPPS), a non-profit organisation declared a Public Utility, which is dedicated to defending and representing the rights and interests of people with impaired hearing. As a result of the agreement, the club will receive training, audiovisual subtitling services and advice on accessibility regulations from ACAPPS.

The Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Barça Innovation Hub (BIHUB) are also working on the development of a project with the startup Visualfy, a company which BIHUB is working with, in order to make the Barcelona Supporter Services Offices (OAB) accessible for people suffering from deafness or impaired hearing.

The FC Barcelona projects in European Diversity Month will also feature some of its partners, such as Spotify or Allianz, as part of their sponsorship deals.

Statement by Elena Fort, vice-president of the FC Barcelona Institutional Area

"For one more year we are playing a big part in European Diversity Month, promoted by the European Commission, with initiatives and projects that will raise awareness of and promote diversity at the club and therefore foster an inclusive culture in which everyone feels appreciated and respected. At the same time, we are establishing strategic alliances with organisations to continue building a club with more accessible facilities for our members and fans from all over the world, as well as partnerships with organisations committed to the values that represent FC Barcelona."