FCBARCELONA.CAT

25.08.2009 14:15

Gamper attracts most fans of summer tournaments

Anna Segura

The 94.123 fans who turned out for the Joan Gamper Trophy made it the biggest summer tournament in Spain in terms of spectators, easily beating the Trofeo Carranza, the Colombino, the Teresa Herrera, the Naranja and the Bernabéu.

Summer tournaments in August are a typically Spanish phenomena, giving teams the chance to show off their new signings and give the fans a chance to observe their pre-season progress. This year’s Joan Gamper Trophy at the Nou Camp proved to be the summer’s biggest attraction, with an astonishing 94.123 fans turning out for the game against Manchester City.

Close to a full house

The game, held on 18th August saw the Nou Camp come close to a full house, the official capacity is 98.772, and although the Trophy went to Manchester after City’s 0-1 win, the fans clearly enjoyed the opportunity to cheer on their treble winning heroes.

Trofeo Bernabéu and The Naranja

The two summer tournaments that came closest to matching the Gamper were Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu and Valencia’s Trofeo Naranja. Madrid drew 75,00 to their stadium on Monday to see their team beat Rosenberg 4-0 in the 31st edition of the tournament, whilst 40,000 fans came out to see Valncia beat Arsenal in their Naranja Trophy in early August.

Historic tournaments

The crowds at the three big clubs contrasted with the poor turnout at three of Spain’s traditional summer tournaments: in Cadiz, a mere 5.000 fans saw the final of the 55th Trofeo Ramón de Carranza in which Cadiz, Seville, Deportivo and Valencia took part. Only 18,000 saw the 64th Trofeo Teresa Herrera in La Coruña when Deportivo lost to Atlético de Madrid and just 7,000 attended Recreativo de Huelva’s Trofeo Colombino, where Betis overcame Zaragoza and their hosts.