Something is changing in Barcelona neighborhood football. More specifically, in the stands of the Club Esportiu Europa and the Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu. At the beginning of the millennium, neither of the two historic groups managed to bring together more than 600 people. On the other hand, the followers of both entities will fill the 6,500 seats of the Narcís Sala today (6 p.m.) to enjoy the derby of the People against the People. Or as Albertito García, captain of the four-barred team, calls it: “The most beautiful derby in Catalonia.”
For approximately a decade, the Gràcia and Sant Andreu clubs have experienced an unusual growth in fans. Several causes explain the success. The reunion of both teams in the same category, the creation of new entertainment clubs or the involvement of the directors in the respective neighborhoods are some examples. Decisions and circumstances that have generated, especially in the last three years, a countercultural phenomenon of a more modest rebound in football. “The new spectators like the atmosphere they see in the stadium and that the club has this point of personality,” explains Sant Andreu manager and spokesperson, Gerard Álvarez. In just one year, the andreuencs have doubled the number of members, going from 1,500 last season to 3,454, a figure not seen since the seventies. For their part, the escapulates have reached 1,930 members. According to Hèctor Ibar, president of the Gracia club, it has been “an absolute record” driven by a “very exaggerated growth of young and also middle-aged people with roots in the neighborhood.”
Ireneu is a representative case. At 39 years old he has never considered himself a big fan. However, since he had to leave Gràcia due to gentrification, he visits Nou Sardenya every two weeks with his 5-year-old son: “For me, Europa is like a link with my origins in the neighborhood and it serves to keep me going. connected to a part of my life.” Similarly, Daniel (19 years old) became a member of the quadribarrados two seasons ago. The reasons for this: the feeling of belonging, the popular prices and “the proximity of the football being played.” Sant Andreu and Europe have coincided in recent seasons during their time in the Tercera RFEF and the current Second RFEF. A circumstance that has allowed the development of a great rivalry that, as Ibar and Álvarez explain, has been key when it comes to encouraging the fans and increasing the social mass of the two teams. “They have been special games, with a lot of people and a lot of tension,” comments manager Andreuenc, referring to the last derbies that were practically full. Regarding this Sunday's match, all the tickets managed by Sant Andreu were sold out ten days before the match took place. In the same way, Europa sold the 600 access tickets it managed as a visitor in one hour. “When the calendar comes out, the first thing we look at is when the derby is,” says the wearer of the four-bar bracelet. “In the end, it is a very special match for everyone, since it makes us feel a little more professional in what modest football is,” he adds. This is a sentiment shared by Àlex Cano, the veteran captain of the Escapulados, for whom the derby is also the most anticipated day of the year. “They are very intense matches, very even, where no one wants to lose and where, sometimes, there is a tougher game than usual,” acknowledges the Gracien native. “We feed each other and it goes very well because it generates a lot of heat.” The difference between elite football and popular football is one of the most relevant factors to understand the rise of this derby between neighborhoods. On the one hand, it seems that the magnitude of global football causes a certain disenchantment among fans who want to identify with the shirt of a big club. The high prices, as well as the lack of daily participation by fans, would be leading to a distancing. “Popular football, on the contrary, allows you to get closer, an issue that does not happen in professional football, where the players are too distant,” explains Eduardo Quintana, co-author of the Sant Andreu centenary book.
Thus, it seems that modest football is reconnecting with more and more people thanks to some of the particularities that only it can offer. As Europa historian Ramon Vergés explains, in neighborhood stadiums “you can see the players up close, they greet you, and at the end you can talk to them under the stands.” In this way, “priceless” situations are generated, in which the fan feels a part.
These characteristics of small-scale football have made people like Cristina, a 33-year-old resident of Sagrera, fall in love with the Narcís Sala environment, despite being originally from Masquefa. Or that three young 22-year-olds from Gracia now cheer on Europa every week and have signed up two months ago: “Here you feel like one more, like in a bigger family,” comments the group of boys. “When you go to see a Barça, Espanyol, or Madrid match... we are all numbers,” compares the Sant Andreu member, who assures that she will attend the derby with her entire family. Three important points will be disputed in the match. On the one hand, the victory can make Sant Andreu (sixth) get closer to Europa (first) and establish itself more comfortably in the playoff zone. On the other hand, the Gracians can use the victory to maintain their status as leaders. Surely, the first derby of 2024 will serve to validate the sweet moment that both clubs are experiencing and the good form of their social masses. As Vergés says: “Whether you win or lose, popular football is a party.”
