In recent years, the rise of Barça femení, current three-time European champions, can be explained not only on a sporting level, but also on a social and fan level, an area that has played a very important role in this successful trajectory. One of the organizations that proves this is the Penya Tsunami Blaugrana which belongs to the Federació de Penyes del Barcelonès Est and has a fixed spot in the Johan Cruyff stadium every time the blaugranas have a match. They are also loyal supporters on numerous trips. Founded in March 2021 and officialized in September 2023, Tsunami Blaugrana is the second official penya pf Barça women’s team – following the PB Totes Unides Fem Força – and is the first one in the city of Barcelona. Its president is Núria Salas Guimerà.
“It all started with a conversation between friends about the emerging strength of women’s football, which gave rise to the idea of creating a supporters’ club focused on supporting it. From there, we grew until we met the requirements to become official,” says Núria Salas. She is one of the founders of the entity and, as she says, she presides it almost by popular acclaim: “At that same meeting, I was proposed and voted by absolute majority with the argument that I had had the idea; moreover, the rest of those present told me that if I presided it, they would all become members,” she recalls amusedly.
The importance of women in the penyes
The female focus of Penya Tsunami Blaugrana is also reflected in its board of directors, made up of five women and one man, and in its mass of supporters, 60% of whom are women. “I don’t think the presence of women in the presidency or on the board are the reason, but rather our unconditional support for women’s football. In fact, we like to see that our penya attracts both women and men, just as the Barça women’s team does; it’s a very desirable normalization,” she says.
Anyway, the president of Tsunami Blaugrana does believe that the perspective of a woman at the head of a penya brings more humanization, equalization and harmonization to the entity in a world that is still very masculinized. “I think that the empathy of a woman is very important to put herself in the shoes of the sportswomen and understand what they may experience or feel, for example when they suffer the lack of interest in the organisation of competitions or the opinion still present that women’s football is just a pastime,” argues Salas. This shared identification and struggle with women’s sport also brings more women supporters to the penya.
“In addition to this, Nuria Salas believes that the penyes have to promote gender equality in their activity: “We need to create attractive dynamics, organize events where women have more participation, invite them to watch the matches and also offer them the chance to stand as candidates for the boards of directors”. She believes that if there are not more women presidents it is because socially this position is still associated with men and this puts women off, or they are simply not given the opportunity. “The penyes without a woman on the board don’t know what they are missing out on. A woman can contribute as much as a man; I would even go so far as to say more. There are some penyes and federations that are starting to open their eyes, but there is still a long way to go,” she says.
Hooked on the success of Barça famení
Tsunami Blaugrana does not see itself as an exception in the world of supporters’ clubs, but as a ‘plus’ that focuses on the women’s team. “At the beginning, it was hard to understand a penya that could support the women’s team in the first place, but their evolution in terms of squad, technical quality and, obviously, all the titles they have won, is proving us right. Being able to live this reality from the ground zero has made the fans come closer to supporters’ clubs like ours,“ says Salas. This pioneering quality of Penya Tsunami Blaugrana is shared with the penya Totes Unides Fem Força, with which they are combining synergies and moving forward together.
Nuria Salas explains that at Tsunami Blaugrana special care is taken to ensure that all members feel at ease: “Above all, there is a climate of familiarity and respect, where the needs of the supporters are taken care of and their proposals are listened to”. As well as being one of the unconditional penyes at the Johan Cruyff, they organise away match viewings and away trips. They are also very active on social networks such as Instagram and X. In addition, the Penya Tsunami Blaugrana has recently carried out its first solidarity action with a delivery of toys to the PB Massanassa, which was affected by the floods, as well as a visit to an animal shelter to give feed and stuffed toys.
The Penya Tsunami Blaugrana is about to celebrate the 4th anniversary of its foundation and faces the final stretch of the season with the illusion of repeating the full of titles that Barça femení completed last year. It will also continue to grow to make this giant wave even bigger while it continues to accompany the team and bring the passion for women’s sport to all Barça fans.
