One of the great secrets that are hidden behind the most demanding human towers

BarcelonaIn the world of castells, great towers do not begin in the square, but many weeks before, at the rehearsal hall. It is there that structures are tested, movements are corrected, rehearsals are repeated, and the necessary confidence is forged to face the most demanding constructions. In this process, safety is as important as technique. And it is here that safety nets for rehearsals have acquired an increasingly greater prominence.

This season, the Castellers de Barcelona have incorporated a new motorized safety net at their premises in the Clot neighborhood. An infrastructure that represents much more than a renovation of the facilities: it is a commitment to expanding the group's technical possibilities and facing future challenges with more guarantees. Since 1969, the city's dean group has been working to grow the castell culture in the heart of Barcelona, and now, with this new tool, it wants to continue advancing without setting protection aside.

From protecting the pillars to making great towers possible

Nets have transformed the way castells are prepared over the last few decades. In the nineties, the first ones allowed practicing the nascent six-person pillars with fewer supporting hands. Later on, the incorporation of a second hole expanded the system's possibilities and facilitated practicing the tower with more precision and fewer people around. And, with the arrival of the new century, nets played an even more decisive role. The Castellers de Vilafranca, for example, took advantage of them to intensify trials of the "torre neta" (clean tower), work that culminated in the first 2d8sf successfully completed in 2010.

Since then, this tool has been present in some of the greatest advances in the casteller world. In the case of the 2d8f, it allowed practicing the construction directly on top of the "pinya" (base). It has also been an important tool in the preparation of structures such as the 2d8sf, the 4d9sf, and the 3d9sf carried by the two groups from Valls. The Castellers de Vilafranca, moreover, even managed to perform the entire 4d9sf in their local, the Figarot. However, its utility is not limited to the large constructions of the leading groups: it has also made it easier for teams of different levels to intensify practice of castells such as the 2d7, the 4d8, or the 3d8.

The key is that the net allows repeating trials with greater guarantees and without the need to mobilize so many people to protect each attempt. This makes it easier to work on the structures more frequently, polish technical details, and make better use of rehearsal time. It also has an important psychological component: when it is removed and the moment comes to perform the castell without protection, the challenge is perceived in a different way. In any case, the net is a tool for preparation and safety, but it does not replace the trust, technique, or collective responsibility that every construction demands.

A new net at the Castellers de Barcelona local

Until now, the Castellers de Barcelona had a fixed net with only two holes, which they mainly used to rehearse the tower. Its characteristics limited the possibilities of working on other structures and constructions with 'folre' (base) with the necessary guarantees. Therefore, the new motorized net represents a qualitative leap. The system allows the installation to be adapted to the characteristics of each test and its configuration to be modified according to the needs of the rehearsal.

The new net is especially important for preparing higher-range 'castells' (human towers), such as nine-story structures and towers with 'folre', in better conditions of protection and confidence. Another advantage is its versatility: its motorized and retractable system allows it to be retracted when not in use and frees up space in the premises. This makes it easier for the facilities to be adapted to other activities, as the group regularly lends them to neighborhood entities and other groups. In addition, a part of the recovered space will also be used to create a new area for the children.

An investment of 65,000 euros with popular support

The installation of the new net involved an investment of about 65,000 euros, funded mainly through grants, commercial activities, and popular contributions. A portion of the resources arrived through the crowdfunding campaign Fem xarxa, fem Colla, between March 22 and April 30. The group set a minimum goal of 13,000 euros on Verkami and an overall milestone of 20,000 and, finally, the campaign raised 17,966 euros through 283 contributions, to which 2,135 euros in external donations were added. In total, 20,100 euros.

The installation took place between June 22 and July 9. The group took advantage of a scheduled trip during one of those weeks to reduce the impact on the usual activity at the premises. Despite the construction work, the rehearsals did not stop: one was held in the street and another at the venue of the Jove de Barcelona. On September 15, the official inauguration of the new net was celebrated, a day that also served to deliver the rewards to the campaign's sponsors. Among these were keychains made with the rope from the old net, exclusive t-shirts and sweatshirts, copies of the 50th-anniversary book, and team building workshops for companies.

A tool for the challenges to come

The new net arrives at a moment of technical growth for the Castellers de Barcelona. This season, the group has recovered high-difficulty constructions and has once again placed nine-story castells among its achieved goals. The year has been marked by the progression of its repertoire, from the first eight-story castells to the return of the 3d9f and the recovery of the pd6, which they had not unloaded in ten years. They have also managed to combine two nine-story castells in the same performance, a milestone they had not reached since 2017.

One of the most notable moments arrived precisely this weekend. At the Clot festival, they unloaded the first "tripleta màgica" (magic triplet) in nine years, with the 3d9f, the 4d9f, and the 5d8, in addition to loading the pd6. This evolution reflects the group's ambition. The new net does not explain the season's results on its own, nor does it guarantee that the castells will be unloaded, but it is a future investment: an infrastructure that expands rehearsal possibilities, allows for working on more structures, and offers better conditions to prepare for the challenges that are to come.