Barça Anthem subtitled and performed in sign language before Barça v Getafe match as part of International Week of Deaf People

This Wednesday’s Liga match between Barça and Getafe showcased the home club’s commitment to people with hearing loss, as part of the International Week of Deaf People, which honours this community. This call to fans to get involved in this cause is part of the club’s 125th anniversary and is the result of a collaboration between the FC Barcelona Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Barça Innovation Hub (BIHUB).

Just before kick-off, as the Barça anthem played, a choir made up of members of the Recreational and Cultural Center for Deaf People of Barcelona (CERECUSOR) and Barça’s Deaf Supporters Club, part of the Federation of Deaf People of Catalonia (FESOCA), performed the song in sign language on the pitch. They also introduced a new sign that represents the word ‘Barça’, accompanied by an interpreter, which involves bringing the tips of both thumbs and index fingers together, imitates the club crest. During the performance, the singers wore shirts with the campaign’s slogan, “A sign that everyone knows.” A few minutes before the match, the fan cam also joined the initiative, inviting the fans to sign, a gesture that they will gradually become familiar with. The sign was created years ago and has been granted to FC Barcelona for its use and promotion.

This symbolic action is happening at a very special moment, the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Barça anthem, which was written in 1974.

Institutional representation

This action, which was subtitled on the stadium’s video scoreboards, was complemented by a group of children with cochlear implants who are members of the football club or of the Catalan Association of Families and People with Hearing Loss (ACAPPS), walking out onto the pitch alongside the first team players.

International Week for People with Hearing Loss was also celebrated in the VIP box. President Joan Laporta welcomed representatives from the Department of Social Rights and Inclusion of the Government of Catalonia, as well as members from various organisations linked to the hearing loss community, including the aforesaid ACAPPS, CERECUSOR and FESOCA, as well as the Federation of Cochlear Implant Associations of Spain (AICE), the Catalan Sports Federation for the Deaf (FESC), the LAIFARI cooperative, and the Visualfy start-up, which is supported by the Barça Innovation Hub.

Video promo with the players

Jules Kounde, Marc Casadó, Sergi Domínguez, Jana Fernández, Marta Torrejón, and Ona Batlle have appeared in a series of videos being released this week on the club’s social media to globally promote the new sign “that everyone knows.”

Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

These actions follow many other initiatives by the DEI department that fall within the agreement with ACAPPS, a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that represents and defends the rights of people with hearing loss to achieve their full participation and accessibility in all areas of life.

Barça Innovation Hub and Visualfy

This campaign has been supported by Visualfy, a start-up in which Barça Innovation Hub has invested as part of its new strategic direction. Thanks to this collaboration, the platform is now a shareholder in various emerging companies, promoting entrepreneurial talent and capturing the value of their growth.

Visualfy was founded in 2017 that provides solutions for deaf or hard-of-hearing people in environments, including homes, through Visualfy Home, or public spaces like the Barcelona Supporter Services Office, through Visualfy Places. Recognised as a success story by the United Nations and the recipient of awards from the World Tourism Organization, Visualfy holds patents for its services in over 40 countries worldwide.

70 million deaf in the world

According to the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), there are approximately 70 million people with hearing loss worldwide. More than 80% live in developing countries and, as a community, they use more than 300 different sign languages.