“I will be everybody’s president. I want the members to know that the commitment starts today. I am fully aware of the huge responsibility I am assuming after achieving their extraordinary results. I won’t let you down”. Twelve months have passed since Sandro Rosell spoke those words on June 13, 2010 after winning the FC Barcelona presidential elections with 61% of the votes.

Sporting and economic excellence

Rosell’s board officially came into office on July 1 and adopted key measures in all areas. Three of the most important achievements of Rosell’s first year of his mandate have been sporting excellence, work to make the club economically sustainable and to promote the role of the members as the owners of the club.

In this regard, he set up a new sporting organigram, gave Pep Guardiola and the coaching staff new contracts for another year and then watched them guide the first team to another Champions’ League title at Wembley with a tremendous performance to beat Manchester United in the final and a third League title in a row, as well as the Spanish Super Cup. Also, both the basketball and futsal teams are on good course to win their domestic titles in what could be one of the most successful seasons ever for the club in terms of silverware.

Economically, the board forecast losses of some 21 million euros (compared to 83 million the previous season) although in a recent press conference, vice president Javier Faus announced that “in two or three years Barça will be the most financially sound club in the world”. The signing of a syndicate credit at the start of the year, the reduction of ordinary expenses and agreements like that with the Qatar Foundation, the biggest sponsorship deal in world football, have gone a long way to achieving that financial solvency.

Key aspects

But other than sporting and financial achievements, the first year in office has seen hard work on institutional and social aspects, including the recovery and improvement of relations with social, political and cultural institutions, the promotion of social initiatives, a new regulation of membership, measures to make the season ticket supplication process more transparent and the establishment of the ‘penyes segle XXI’ project for supporters clubs. Barça has also been promoted as an even more international brand and the Foundation’s work has been reoriented to focus more on the country’s own needs.

Promising future

With his first year in command now over, Sandro Rosell will now be guiding the club towards new challenges in all areas, with such targets as further improvements to the club’s youth system and the setting up of the new Masia youth residence at the Ciutat Esportiva.