The Barça Penyes movement continues to grow around the world with the addition of the Penya Blaugrana El Jardín de Chamartín, in Madrid, and the Penya Barça de Babil, in Iraq. These are two organisations from very different contexts but with the same goal: to keep the culer spirit alive and provide meeting spaces for Barça fans.

A culé space in the heart of Madrid

The Penya Blaugrana El Jardín de Chamartín was born from the initiative of seven Barça members and friends living in Madrid. The project began to take shape more than a year ago, following FC Barcelona’s 3-2 victory in the Spanish Super Cup, when they decided to formalise the gatherings they already held regularly to watch the team’s matches.

The name of the Penya has a special meaning for its founders: its headquarters are close to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, in the Chamartín neighbourhood, and it also refers to the park where they used to meet before going together to watch games, their own particular “garden”.

The main reason for setting up the Penya was the need to have a space of their own as the group grew and they struggled to find venues large enough. Planned activities include watching matches at the headquarters, trips to follow the team, meetings with other Penyes, calçotades, padel and football tournaments, as well as raffles and sweepstakes.

Barcelonisme takes root in Babylon

The Penya Barça de Babil represents another step in the consolidation of the Penyes movement in Iraq. Its creation is closely linked to the story of its president, Abdulla Salah, who worked as a photographer for the Penya Barça de Basra in 2017.

After moving to his home city, Babylon, in 2020, Salah promoted the creation of a new Penya to bring Barcelonisme closer to local fans. Since 2022, the organisation has held regular gatherings that have helped strengthen the sense of community among Barça supporters.

The initiative is inspired by the experience in Basra, where the Penya has brought together more than a thousand fans to watch major matches. With that example in mind, the Penya Barça de Babil has also shown a remarkable ability to attract people, as seen at one of its most recent gatherings for a Clásico, which brought together around 500 people.

Its activities mainly include collective match viewings, sports initiatives and solidarity and humanitarian actions aimed at local children and young people.

With these two new additions, the FC Barcelona Penyes movement continues to show its ability to unite fans from very different realities under the same colours, from Madrid to Babylon.

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