Sporting success DOES trigger baby booms: Spain's birth rate rose by 16% after Barcelona's 2009 Champions League victory In May 2009, FC Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League Initial reports claimed that birth rates following this event rose by 45% However, research from has now confirmed this increase was 16% They compared the change in birth rates from 2007 to 2012 These children have been dubbed â€˜The Iniesta Generationâ€™ after winning goal scorer Andres Iniesta In May 2009 euphoria swept through Spain as FC Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League. Following this event, reports predicted the win would spark a baby boom in Spain and now scientists have confirmed that the number of births in February 2010 did indeed rise, by 16 per cent. There was also an 11 per cent increase seen in births in March 2010, which the scientists claim may have still been a knock-on effect of the win. Spanish researchers analysed birth data at maternity centres in Catalonia from before and after FC Barcelona won the title in May, 2009. It found a 16% increase in February 2010, nine months after the event, compared to births in February in previous and later years (marked by grey squares) Initial reports in Spain claimed the birth rate following the Champions League win had spiked by 45 per cent, which has now been disproved. Following, the 1965 blackout in the northeast United States, the New York Times published four consecutive articles reporting a 30 per cent increase in the birth rates of five hospitals in Manhattan. However, in 1970, research found that there had actually been a 20 to 25 per cent decline in births rather than an increase. Following World War II, reports claim that between 1946 and 1964 the number of annual births exceeded two per 100 women - which worked at approximately 2 per cent of the global population at that time. The children born during this time have been dubbed 'The Iniesta Generation', named after Andres Iniesta who scored the winning goal. The initial 45 per cent claims were considered to be so high, scientists at the Althaia clinical center in the Catalan region of Bages wanted to confirm this. The researchers began by analysing birth data between 2007 and 2012 at two maternity centres in Manresa, capital of Bages. As well as being home to the clinic, Bages was also the birthplace of Josep Guardiola who was the Barcelona manager at the time of the Champions League win. The researchers found that births in this Catalan region rose by 16 per cent in February 2010 and 11 per cent in March, compared to previous and later years. However, other sporting wins did not generate such a boom. The researchers actually saw a drop in birth rate towards the end of 2010, despite the fact Barcelona also won the Supercopa de Espana in August 2009 and Spain won the World Cup in December 2009. The children born during this time have been dubbed The Iniesta Generation, named after Barcelona player Andres Iniesta, pictured, who scored the winning goal against Chelsea. Initial reports in Spain claimed the birth rate following this win had spiked by 45 per cent, which has now been disproved This may have been caused by the economic crisis in the country at the same time, claim the authors. â€˜In summary, our results may have several different interpretations,â€™ said the researchers in their paper 'Barcelona baby boom: does sporting success affect birth rate?' â€˜One is that human emotions on a large scale can profoundly affect demographic swings in populations, that national or regional events can reduce the weight of reason and increase the weight of passion. â€˜Validation of our results could contribute to a better understanding of human behaviour, improve healthcare planning, and even aid government policy makers in stimulating or reducing birth rates. â€˜Ideally, to bridge the gap between observational and trial data, it would help greatly if Iniesta were willing to replicate his interventionâ€"although the cost of such a study could be prohibitive, not to mention harmful to the reference group (Chelsea).â€™ Aside from the baby boom in February, comparative birth rates declined in the second half of 2012. This was despite the fact Spain also won the World Cup in December 2009. The researchers claimed this may have been due to the economic crisis in the country