Features
FC Barcelona Joins European Ticketing Campaign Group FEAT
FC Barcelona, one of the world’s most popular soccer clubs, has signed an agreement with the Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT), thereby joining the mission for a Europe-wide ban on event ticket resale above face value.
It marks a milestone moment for FEAT: FC Barcelona is the first sporting member to join the alliance, and one of the world’s most popular teams at that.
See: European Ticketing Alliance Wants To Rein In Search Engines
The agreement was signed at a meeting in the office of FC Barcelona president Joan
Laporta, who was joined by Juli Guiu, vice-president of the FC Barcelona’s marketing department, and Neo Sala, founder & CEO of Doctor Music, and founding director of FEAT.
FC Barcelona had already started implementing measures “to combat unauthorized ticket resale, including personalized tickets, and a tracking system to prevent misuse,” according to a press release announcing the FEAT partnership.
FC Barcelona joins some of Europe’s most experienced and successful live events professionals at FEAT. The campaign centers around three key pledges: to fight for face-value ticket resale; to only support resale marketplaces that are legally compliant and embrace transparency; and to stand up to search engines and social media platforms accepting advertising from irregular resale platforms.
Guiu, is also chair of Clipper’s Music Group, one of the country’s longest-standing music businesses, dealing in publishing, management, label services, and live, commented, “Tackling unauthorized ticket resale has been a priority of the Club’s for some time so this partnership makes perfect sense. This alliance is also aligned with the different actions that FC Barcelona has been undertaking to protect its members and season ticket holders against any situation and for purchasers of tickets for all sectors to feel safe in the knowledge that the tickets they buy are legitimate and fairly priced.”
Sala said, “We’re delighted to bring FC Barcelona, our first non-music member, on board to continue our fight against unethical ticket resale. This strengthens our voice, building a united front on the issue across entertainment and live events. In this way, FC Barcelona becoming FEAT’s first sports member, Barcelona will now become FEAT’s official home city, and will host its Annual General Meeting there every year.”
FEAT, since its formation in 2019, has campaigned hard for face-value ticket resale, including lobbying the EU to regulate resale platforms. It has published two guides on how to avoid unauthorized ticket resale. 2023 saw FEAT launch its “Make Tickets Fair!” campaign to the live events sector, which, by its own admission, “aims to educate and empower fans to avoid being ripped off by predatory ticket resellers.”