The Damm Foundation has officially inaugurated the new Damm Sports City, a modern 30,000 m² sports complex that has become the new home of the Damm Football Club. This club, with more than 70 years of history, has been a reference in the training of young talents in grassroots soccer. It has consolidated its position as one of the country’s leading soccer academies. The new facilities, located in Montjuïc, will allow the entity to continue promoting the development of young athletes, both in soccer and in their personal training.
Damm Sports City
The inauguration of the Damm Sports City coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Damm Football Club. It was founded in 1954 by a group of workers of the Damm brewery. At that time, it had the objective of motivating and supporting the youth of the neighborhood where the old Estrella Damm factory is located. Seventy years later, the club remains faithful to its founding values: to educate and train young footballers in an environment that favors both their sporting and human development.
The new sports complex, whose construction began in November 2022, has two 11-a-side soccer fields, one of which can be divided into two 7-a-side soccer fields, and two service buildings. The main building houses the Club’s offices, medical services, gymnasium, locker rooms and a study room where players can continue their academic training. The second building, located between the two fields, has additional changing rooms, a grandstand with a capacity for 550 spectators and a 100 m² restaurant area.
Respect for the environment
This complex was designed by the Barcelona architectural firms Max de Cusa and Hiha Studio, and stands out for its integration into the Montjuïc mountain landscape. The facilities are environmentally friendly and free of CO₂ emissions. From the organization they emphasized that they run on all-electric energy powered by solar panels. They also have a rainwater harvesting system for irrigating the fields. This makes them energy self-sufficient facilities and Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) certified.
Memorable inauguration of the Damm Sports City
More than 500 people attended the opening ceremony, where they were able to see the new facilities first hand. This event has allowed the Club to gather for the first time all its equipment in a single space, welcoming the 230 players, as well as the technical and medical team, composed of more than 90 people.
The event was attended by leading figures from the political and sports spheres, including Salvador Illa, President of the Catalan Government; Josep Rull, President of the Parliament of Catalonia; Carlos Prieto, Government Delegate in Catalonia; and Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona. Also present were Demetrio Carceller Arce, president of the Damm Foundation and executive chairman of Damm, and Ramon Agenjo, president of Damm Football Club. Accompanied by other personalities from the world of sports, such as Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona; Mao Ye Wu, CEO of RCD Espanyol; and Quique Cárcel, sports director of Girona FC, the authorities toured the new facilities.
In addition, historical players of Club de Fútbol Damm who now play in the First Division, such as David López (Girona FC) and Joan Garcia (RCD Espanyol), attended the event, as well as representatives of other grassroots soccer clubs in Barcelona.
Although some important soccer figures, such as Leo Messi, Pep Guardiola, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández, were unable to attend, they sent video messages congratulating the Club on the inauguration of its new headquarters. One of the most touching moments was the Castellers of Esparreguera, who raised a pillar of 4 and unfurled the shield of the Damm Football Club, a gesture that symbolized the union and spirit of the club.
Tribute to tradition
The inauguration ceremony culminated with the kick-off by Inés Pujol Agenjo, sixth generation of the Damm family, who repeated the gesture made by her great-grandmother, Josefina Bosch Damm, in 1954 during the club’s first official match.
The day concluded with two friendly matches between the youth teams of Damm Football Club, RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona. First, the Juvenil Femenino A played against RCD Espanyol’s women’s team, while the Juvenil Masculino A played against FC Barcelona’s youth team. With these matches, soccer became the undisputed protagonist of the day, closing the inauguration of the Damm Sports City in a spectacular way.
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