FCBARCELONA.CAT

02.04.2009 16:48

The Origins of the Word “Culé”

All human groups have references and symbols that are shared by all members, perhaps without their knowing their origin or original meaning.

All human groups have references and symbols that are shared by all members, perhaps without their knowing their origin or original meaning.

In the case of Barça, this happens with the world “culé” (or “culer” in Catalan), used to make reference to the team’s fans. As the origin of this word is lost in the mist of time, we don’t know when it was first used. There’re several versions of this tale, though.

The most authoritative one seems to be the one associating the use of “culé” with the years when Barça used to play on the pitch on Calle de la Industria, from 1909 to 1922.

Spectators used to sit on the two layers of stands or scatter over other areas. Here there were some benches, but when they ran out of sitting space, they’d sit on the wall surrounding the stadium.

From outside, it looked like a wall with spectators’ bottoms on top, and bottom is “cul” in Catalan. Thus, Barça supporters began to be called “culés.” The term became increasingly popular, specially after it was picked up in the media.