Athletic Club Prepares ‘The Barge’ For Copa Del Rey Celebration

An estimated 70,000 Athletic Club fans made the journey from Bilbao and other parts of Spain to Seville to witness their team secure a first major title in 40 years on Saturday night, but the real party is scheduled for Thursday when the team will have an official act of celebration in the Basque Country.

Ernesto Valverde’s team were forced to fight for 120 minutes against a plucky Mallorca side, who upset the odds to take an early lead through Dani Rodríguez and then took the game to penalties after Oihan Sancet leveled the scoreline. In the shoot-out, misses from Manu Morlanes and Nemanja Radonjić allowed Álex Berenguer to score the winning spot-kick

Celebrations for the victory will take place on Thursday, April 11, in order to allow returning fans to make the journey home to Bilbao and also to afford time for planning and the correct conditions. As such, the club has confirmed that, “on that date, after 40 years and six consecutive lost finals, La Gabarra, with a team of champions aboard, will finally set sail again and celebrate this new triumph with the Athleticzale family”.

‘La Gabarra’ is a symbolic piece of Athletic’s history, translated as ‘The Barge’, which travels down the river Ibaizabal which divides the city of Bilbao, carrying the winning squad, staff and trophy, for fans to flock to the river banks to pay tribute to their champions.

The vessel has not been put to use for 40 years, as authorities decided not to use the boat following the Spanish Super Cup triumph in 2015 or 2021, the only times that Athletic have won a trophy since the 1984 Copa del Rey victory.

What is ‘La Gabarra’?

‘La Gabarra’, misleadingly named as it is officially classed as a pontoon boat, was built in 1960 by Astilleros Celaya at the request of the Bilbao Port Authority, though it was initially given the name ‘Barge Number One’ before later being renamed ‘Athletic’ after being repurposed for celebratory purposes for the soccer side.

It was first used for this purpose in 1983 when Athletic won LALIGA on the final day of the season, as director Cecilio Gerrikabeitia suggested to club president Pedro Aurtenetxea, that it would be a unique way to celebrate, following the song written during Spain’s first Carlist War, which stated “down the river Nervión a barge was coming down, rumbling rumbling, with eleven requetés [Carlist volunteers] with red berets”.

Given the close link to Bilbao’s industrial heritage and history, where barges were used frequently to transport heavy goods up and down the river and from one side of the city to the other, it was deemed a good idea, and Athletic chose ‘Barge Number One’ to be their vessel and renamed ‘Athletic’.

“It’s victory, triumph, joy, seeing the red and white fans as we came up the river, seeing them everywhere with tremendous emotion,” Andoni Goikoetxea, who was part of the winning team in 1984, explained to DAZN in a 2021 interview.

However, following its use in 1983 and then twice in 1984 to celebrate a league and cup double, it was not used again until 2013. On that occasion, it was to be ‘retired’, taking the boat down the river to the Bilbao Maritime Museum, located close to Athletic’s San Mamés stadium, and iconically being captained by Athletic’s former goalkeeper and club José Ángel Iribar.

The vessel is one that has become iconic for the club and its celebrations, with fans eagerly awaiting its return to action which will finally come some 40 years after it was last used to celebrate a title.

Controversy over charges

One controversial factor to consider is that many fans seek to join ‘La Gabarra’ on its epic journey down the Ibaizabal. This year, for the first time, those seeking to do so on their own boats will be obliged to register in advance.

Those seeking to take part must register in advance to enter into a draw, which will take place on Monday, April 8, to determine who will be allowed to join ‘La Gabarra’ and in which position.

Those entering must pay a registration fee of up to €3,000 ($3,250) in addition to €200 ($217) per person, depending upon the type of boat, and a further fee for any advertising or branding on display, which can go up to €5,000 ($5,420), with all designs being approved by the club in order to form part of the event.

The controversy comes in that these fees have been entirely decided upon by Athletic Club themselves, without any costs implemented by the Bilbao Port Authority, who said in a statement that, “this charge is not intended to cover any service or prior requirement by this Port Authority”.

Any fees paid will be kept by Athletic Club as the organizers of the event, with some locals questioning the ethics behind a private entity profiting from an event which is being held on public waterways.

Despite some local criticism of the handling of the event, when the city of Bilbao turns out on Thursday for the event, with more details to be unveiled following the team’s return on Sunday, the atmosphere is bound to be joyous.