Miniestadi · Profile

The Miniestadi opened on 23 September 1982, the eve of Barcelona’s Mercè festival, with a friendly between FC Barcelona’s first team and its reserve side. The reserves won 3-2 in a game in which Diego Armando Maradona played for the first team and was replaced by Guillermo Amor, then aged 14. Built next to the Camp Nou and the Palau Blaugrana, the stadium was home to Barcelona’s second team for 37 years. It closed in 2019, and its demolition was completed in February 2020.

Construction and features

The stadium was designed by architect Josep Casals, with Ramon Domènech as project manager. Fomento de Obras y Construcciones built it in nine months at a cost of 270 million pesetas. It held 15,276 spectators, all seated, across two side stands and a covered main stand. The pitch measured 103 by 65 metres. An elevated walkway connected it to the Palau Blaugrana, the indoor arena used by the club’s other sports sections.

Home of the reserve team

The first competitive match was played on 30 October 1982, on the ninth matchday of the Spanish second division, and ended 0-0 between the reserves and Real Oviedo. From that year until 2019, Barcelona B played their home games there; between 1982 and 2007 Barça C also used the ground until the team was disbanded. In 2007-08, with Pep Guardiola as coach, the reserves won their Tercera División group with 83 points and secured promotion to Segunda División B in 2008 after play-off wins over Castillo and Barbastro. Two years later, Luis Enrique’s side, champions of Segunda B group 3, knocked out Poli Ejido and Jaén before facing Sant Andreu in the final round: a 1-0 first-leg win at the Miniestadi and a 0-0 draw at the Narcís Sala earned promotion to the Spanish second division in 2010.

Other teams and international matches

Barcelona’s Juvenil A side played its UEFA Youth League home games at the Miniestadi, and the women’s team staged its Champions League home matches there. In 2002 it was the home ground of the Barcelona Dragons, the American football team of NFL Europe. The Andorra national team used it for several competitive games: a 0-5 defeat to the Netherlands on 24 March 2001, a 0-3 loss to Ireland on 28 March 2001 and another 0-3 defeat to the Netherlands on 17 November 2004. On 17 March 1984 it hosted a Spain-France women’s match that ended 2-2. In 2007 it staged the Meridian Cup, in which Europe beat Africa 6-1 and 0-4, and a Peru-Ecuador friendly (0-2) on 6 June. On 13 August 2013 Colombia beat Serbia 1-0 in a friendly.

Concerts and other events

The stadium was also a concert venue. Supertramp played there in 1983; Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana shared the bill on 28 June 1984; Queen performed on 1 August 1986 as part of the Magic Tour, and Plácido Domingo gave a charity concert the same year. David Bowie played two nights, 7 and 8 July 1987, on the Glass Spider Tour, and Elton John performed on 21 July 1992 in a show later released on video. The Miniestadi also hosted charity matches, including one for La Marató de TV3, and in 2001 a tribute to former Barcelona goalkeeper Urruti.

Farewell and demolition

Barcelona B played their last match at the Miniestadi in May 2019, a 0-2 defeat to Hércules. For the 2019-20 season the reserves moved to the Estadi Johan Cruyff at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground. On 24 September 2019, the day after the opening anniversary, the club held the farewell event «Gràcies, Mini!» at the Auditori 1899, led by vice-president Jordi Cardoner and attended by former players, coaches and directors linked to the stadium. The demolition permit was granted on 3 October 2019 and work began on 29 October, using a mechanical method designed to recycle 80% of the materials. The site was earmarked for the new Palau Blaugrana. Demolition was completed on 24 February 2020, when the walkway linking it to the Palau was removed.