The other FC Barcelona

When you hear or read about FC Barcelona, you will assume that the reference is to the famous football team. However, not many people realise that there is another Barcelona sports team who take the same name as the football team, wear the same colours as the famous football team and even play across the road! I am talking about FC Barcelona Lassa– FC Barcelona’s basketball team.

One of Spain’s oldest Basketball teams

The club, part of the famous FC Barcelona football club, was founded in 1926 making it the oldest basketball team in the top division of Spanish Basketball. Since 1971 the club has played its home matches at Palau Blaugrana stadium, located between Mini Estadi and the Camp Nou. Whilst it may seem strange that the basketball team should have the same name and badge as the football team the situation is actually not uncommon. In fact, Real Madrid also has a Basketball team who, along with Barcelona make up the two most successful and famous basketball clubs in Spain. In fact, in the same way as the biggest match in Spain’s footballing calendar is the El Clásico, the matches between the two basketball teams are by far the most talked about and hotly anticipated basketball matches in Spain.

An exhilarating experience

If you have watched live basketball, you will know that the high tempo and intensity makes for a great spectacle. Tickets to watch FC Barcelona Lassa play in their home stadium start at around €10-16 for most games. Although, the big derby against Real Madrid due to take place on the 23rd of April will cost a little more- with tickets starting at around €30. Tickets can be bought on their official website, and due to the relatively modest capacity of the stadium (7,585) tickets can sell quickly, especially for the big matches. Tickets can also be bought on other websites, such as Ticketmaster. Be careful which websites you use and stay away from unofficial websites or tickets sold on eBay- the best place to purchase tickets is on the club’s official website.

The fact that the Basketball team is not as well known as the Football team, means most of the fans are locals and the atmosphere is more lively- making for an all round more authentic and exciting experience. If you are a fan of Basketball, fancy seeing some live sport or just want to try something different- why not go and watch the other FC Barcelona.