FC Barcelona’s First Club-Owned Stadium
The Camp del Carrer Indústria, popularly known as L’Escopidora or Spitoon, was the first stadium to be owned by FC Barcelona and was in use between 1909 and 1922.
It measured 91 by 52 metres with a capacity for 6,000 spectators and was located between Carrers Indústria (currently Carrer París), Urgell, Villaroel and Londres in the Esquerra de l’Eixample.
The main entrance was on Carrer de la Indústria with a second entrance for club members on Carrer Urgell.
With its two-tier main stand and artificial lighting, the ground was considered revolutionary in its day.
It was at the Camp de la Indústria that FC Barcelona went through its first golden age winning a total of 13 titles between 1909 and 1922.
History of the Camp del Carrer Indústria
After ten years playing on various borrowed or rented football grounds, such as the Velòdrom de la Bonanova, the Camp del Casanoves, the Camp de la Carretera d’Horta, the Camp del Carrer Muntaner and the Camp de la Plaça d’Armes, club president Joan Gamper decided it was time for FC Barcelona to buy its own ground.
The ground on Carrer de la Indústria (currently Carrer París) was opened without any special ceremony on March 14th 1909 and quickly became known as L’Escopidora or Spitoon due to its reduced dimensions.
The first game was a 2-2 draw against Català FC in the Campionat de Catalunya with the first FC Barcelona goal being scored by Romà Forns and the second by Charles Wallace.
Barça won the second game played at the Camp de la Indústria and was crowned champion of Catalonia.
It was at Carrer de la Indústria that FC Barcelona’s first golden age began with the signing of important players such as Josep Samitier, Paulinho Alcàntara, Emili Sagi and Ricardo Zamora under Jack Greenwell, the club’s first professional coach.
The 6,000-capacity ground was regularly filled with fans every Sunday to watch games in both the Campionat de Catalunya and the Copa de España.
So many supporters came to the ground that many had to sit on a wall on the edge of the stadium next to the main stand so that when passers-by on Carrer de la Indústria looked up all they could see was a row of backsides.
As a result the most committed Barça supporters became known as culers, literally ‘arse people’, and the name has stuck to this day.
Incidentally, the word culé is meaningless in Spanish and is simply an attempt to copy the sound of the original culer in Catalan.
Characteristics
Due to its modern design, the Camp de la Indústria caused furore in early twentieth century Barcelona.
It was the first football ground with artificial illumination and the two-level stand had space for 1,500 spectators.
Although built later, when the ground opened, there were no dressing rooms or showers so players had to change in the open air and wash themselves in a bowl with a bucket of cold water.
The pitch measured 91 metres by 52 metres and there were no fences so fans could invade the pitch if the so wished.
Titles Won Between 1909 and 1922
Whilst FC Barcelona played at Carrer de la Indústria, the side won 13 official titles.
8 Campionats de Catalunya: 1909-10, 1910-11, 1912-13, 1915-16, 1918-19 1919-20, 1920-21 and 1921-22
5 Copas de España: 1910, 1912, 1913, 1920 and 1922
Apart from the Copa de España titles won by Barcelona in 1912 and 1913, the final was also played at the Camp de la Indústria in 1916 and the title was won by Athletic Club de Bilbao.