A Netflix-worthy initiative to revive a historic Catalan football club

Badalona"When they explained to us that they would be filming a series with us, we didn't imagine the magnitude of the story. We're a Third Division RFEF team... and we have seven or eight people following us around all day; none of us had ever experienced anything like this. It's very impactful!" emphasizes Josu Martínez, one of the most high-profile players in Catalan amateur football. CF Badalona, transformed into a kind of film set since October.

That's when the cameras of On Demand and NonStop Studios arrived in the city to begin filming, until the end of the season, an ambitious inside about the club called Badalona Crema: the documentaryThe series, which premiered its first two episodes on YouTube a few days ago, releases a new episode every week.

Why Badalona?

"That is worthy of Netflix"...it's a series about a fifth-division team with Champions League resources. It features people who have been nominated for Goya Awards," they say from the stadium corridors. Within the club, some compare it to Sunderland 'Til I DieThe docuseries about Sunderland that marked a turning point in this television format, and especially with Welcome to WrexhamThe documentary portrays how two Hollywood stars – Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – attempt to relaunch a Welsh club from the fifth division to the English Premier League.

"Badalona is a historic Catalan club that has lost its identity over the years, and we believe that, with this documentary, by explaining who we are, we will be able to recover it and reconnect with the city and the fans," explains Marc Serra, one of the project's instigators and co-owners of the club; the other two are Egyptian Amir Garranah and Frenchman Michel de Voronine. When they bought the club in the summer of 2024, they already had in mind financing a documentary like this because they understand that sporting achievements – in the long term they want to reach professional football – must be accompanied by an increase in the fan base and a stronger connection with the municipality, which is the third largest in Catalonia and where basketball has a strong presence. Currently, the team is joint leader of the Tercera RFEF (fourth division).

"Catalonia is much more than Barça and Espanyol. We want to highlight another historic club and experience firsthand the struggle for promotion of a humble club like Badalona," says Argentinian Sebastian Averbuj, the creator of the project, directed by his compatriot Federico Tonizzo, executive producer of How to hunt a monster...among other international productions.

Living with the cameras

Concrete stands, matches at noon, fried snouts... the documentary is an ode to grassroots football. And that's what makes it special. "While the big clubs apply many filters, at Badalona we have direct contact with the protagonists and full access to everything: the locker room, offices, the bench..." reveals Víctor Cervantes, head of content. "They put a microphone on me when I enter the field and take it off when I leave. It's not comfortable living with cameras, but we're getting used to it," confirms Pedro Dólera, the coach. "They filmed the good and the bad, and of course, when things aren't going well, you don't like it as much. They filmed me one day when I was substituted, and I wasn't happy about it at all... but then you watch the episodes and realize it's a fantastic series," says Josu Martínez, one of the team's most charismatic players.

“Another differentiating factor is that we don’t just focus on the sporting aspect; we follow the protagonists in their real lives. They aren’t millionaires like the professionals, and we filmed them when they’re studying or going to work,” Cervantes adds. The documentary highlights the footballers, such as Robert Simon, who is seen preparing for his bus driver’s license exam; but also the anonymous workers who keep a modest club like Badalona afloat, often without pay: “The team delegate, for example, is a retired referee who makes the players laugh with his TikTok videos.” Miguelito Duaso, the volunteer equipment manager and heart of the team, also appears. “Since it premiered, people stop me in the street, and referees say, ‘Wow, you’re famous!’” says Miguelito, happy to be the star of a documentary “worthy of Netflix.”