ABSTRACT
This chapter envisages a more contemporary approach in which the key focus is a study of ownership and governance in FC Barcelona. It is rooted in the complex interplay between governance, democracy and the increasingly commercial impulses driving the club within the wider dynamics of the growth of the devolved Catalan autonomous region and a democratic Spain since the 1980s. It considers three key themes. Firstly, it critically analyses the vexed questions surrounding the club's ownership model, which is conceived as a member-owned club. Secondly, the chapter reflects on the transformation of the club into an entertainment multinational since 2003 and how the commercial impulse and globalisation challenge affect its specific ownership model. Finally, some attention is paid to the Super League project and how this affects the identity of the club – the motto ‘Més que un club’ – and the principles of its governance.
