FC Barcelona backs Drelife to launch official shirt resale channel

FC Barcelona have invested in Barcelona-based technology company Drelife to create what they describe as the club’s first official “second life” channel for merchandise, starting with authentic jerseys.The initiative, led through the Barça Innovation Hub (BIHUB) and delivered operationally by Barça Licensing & Merchandising (BLM), is designed to bring resale activity into a verified environment controlled by the club rather than informal third-party marketplaces.FC Barcelona board member Àngel Riudalbas, who oversees BIHUB and also sits on the BLM board, said: “Through BIHUB, we wanted to go a step further with Drelife.“We will drive a pioneering initiative in the sports industry that will allow us to open up new business avenues for the club.“This collaboration will give us the opportunity to transform our retail ecosystem into a more efficient and profitable model, generating recurring income from existing products while strengthening our bond with our fans.”The club said resale of shirts has historically taken place through fragmented channels with limited authentication, meaning the value generated did not return to the club and the fan experience carried higher counterfeit risk.BLM will operate the digital channel as an extension of the official store, with the club positioning authenticity checks, quality standards and customer service as central to the proposition.The club also highlighted the strategic value of keeping resale behaviour and product demand data in-house, including insights on collector preferences, demand by shirt type and user profiles.Drelife said the partnership is intended to create a template that could be replicated elsewhere in sport, using an end-to-end platform that manages listing, verification and resale at scale.Drelife founder and chief executive Beto Miralles said: “For Drelife, this collaboration with FC Barcelona represents much more than a strategic agreement: it is an opportunity to build a pioneering model that can redefine the relationship between clubs and their retail assets.“In my case, it also has a particularly personal dimension, having been part of the club for ten years as a handball player.”FC Barcelona said the secondary market for sports merchandise is expanding rapidly and has traditionally operated outside clubs’ direct control.The club framed the move as a way to reclaim economic value from existing assets and build a new knowledge layer around fan collecting habits, at a time when elite clubs are pushing harder to diversify retail income beyond primary kit sales.BIHUB said Drelife becomes the 15th start-up in its investment portfolio, reflecting a wider strategy of taking minority positions in technologies that can be implemented across the club’s commercial and sporting ecosystem.