This Saturday 10 February marks the beginning of the Year of the Dragon and FC Barcelona wishes to convey its best wishes to fans for what is to be the Year of the Dragon, a creature that in Chinese tradition evokes power, strength, and courage.
To celebrate, several players from the men’s and women’s football teams have appeared in a video with their festive greetings wishing people around the world health, luck, wisdom and prosperity. Engen, Cata, Patri and Walsh from the women’s team and Ferran, De Jong, Balde, João Felix and Koundé from the men’s team star in this piece that also features Yonghui, a Chinese calligraphy artist who displays his mastery by writing the word “dragon” in Chinese characters corresponding to different dynastic eras, evoking this long-standing culture’s proud tradition.
Dragon Pack, a new fashion line
This year, for the first time, the club is releasing a new line of sportswear inspired by the Year of the Dragon. The garments include a pre-game shirt, an Anthem Jacket and two tracksuits that the first team players will wear during travel and warm-ups for their respective matches on February 11 (men) and 14 (women).
These kits are an evolution of the pieces that the players usually wear in the run-up to matches. The new design is inspired by the dragon and its characteristic brightly coloured scales; powerful images that are part of the iconography of this festival in dances and other representations of Chinese folklore.
The pre-game shirt and the Anthem Jacket also have the number 2024 stamped in Chinese and the tracksuits spark creativity with shapes that resemble the characteristic movements of dragons.
All these products can be purchased from this Wednesday at Barça Stores and via the FC Barcelona e-commerce platform.
Discounts of up to 40% on tickets
Year of the Dragon is also having an impact on ticket sales this year with attractive promotions of up to 40% off on the first team matches against Granada (Sunday 11 February) and Getafe (February 24). There are also discounts on various ticket packs for women’s football, basketball and the club museum, all of which will be available from this Wednesday 7 February until Sunday 11.
Celebratory actions at matches
FC Barcelona, together with the Penya Blaugrana Dracs Units (founded by the Chinese community in Catalonia), has planned a series of actions coinciding with three home matches in this period.
For the Barça v Alba Berlin basketball match on Friday 9 February, there will be a calligraphy workshop outside the Palau where fans can write their names in Chinese characters. Inside the arena, they will hear a Chinese version of the club anthem (created by the band GAS) and at half-time the Palau court will host a traditional dragon dance and percussion show of Chinese instruments.
On the occasion of Barça v Granada football match on Sunday 11 in the Estadi Olimpic, the players will go out onto the pitch with children from the Penya Blaugrana Dracs Units and, at half-time there will also be a dance and percussion show similar to the one in the Palau Blaugrana. There will also be an on-pitch central canvas and fam cams themed around the festivities.
Finally, on Wednesday 14th, when the women’s team host Levante, the Estadi Johan Cruyff will also be resonating with traditional new year culture, with the players joined as they take to the turf by a group of children from the Penya Blaugrana Dracs Units.
Leaders on social media in China
The Year of the Dragon campaign reinforces the club’s intention to connect with fans in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world to create activities and celebrations for diverse cultures. The club has launched a series of stickers and red packets (traditional envelopes for giving lucky money in Chinese culture) on WeChat and a special collection on Meitu camera, which incorporated FC Barcelona stickers with four adorable frames of Year of the Dragon to brighten up your new year moments!
In the digital realm, Barça’s presence in the region is constantly increasing. In China alone, the club has 15.7 million followers of its social media accounts and is the European club with the most followers on networks in this territory. In 2013, Barça opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and since then has been working to forge solid relationships both with fans and with local sponsors and partners.
