Are you a soci?

After seeing some discussion about Rosell planning to run for president again in 2016 I started to wonder how many % of the BarçaForum members are actually official members of FC Barcelona.

If you are, please share whether you have already voted in the past or if you went to one of the meetings. I am a member myself but unfortunately never had the opportunity to do any of those things because of uni or other obligations.

Soci checking in, never had the opportunity to vote, though.

Unfortunately after getting older and now having the money to spend to become a soci, but Rosell blocks me doing so Would love to become a member of the most beautiful club in the world.

But in all honesty, I think the structure of memberships can be changed. I don't think I should be absolutely able to vote on stadium issues or anything that involves local stuff that does not influence me as an inhabitant of The Netherlands. Would gladly accept another form of membership, but not this bogus stuff they came up now.

Trickykid said:

Soci checking in, never had the opportunity to vote, though.

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It's so hard to find an international soci who actually voted or attended a meeting before because they're always on impossible days

CF4 1899 said:

Unfortunately after getting older and now having the money to spend to become a soci, but Rosell blocks me doing so Would love to become a member of the most beautiful club in the world.

But in all honesty, I think the structure of memberships can be changed. I don't think I should be absolutely able to vote on stadium issues or anything that involves local stuff that does not influence me as an inhabitant of The Netherlands. Would gladly accept another form of membership, but not this bogus stuff they came up now.

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Same, except I couldn't afford it yet anyway

Rosell's thing is idiotic, not only that you have to wait 3 years by paying for a card that offers absolutely nothing but you have to be there to sign and pay at some point of the year, so even if you are a big fan and go to games cause you have money, you have to go when they want you to...
They could well just let you be a member and have rights like it was till now, as long as you don't come to Barca to vote for a President why can't you benefit from things of being a member? Isn't it a Football Club? So its meant to have fans in the first place, if someone accept your sum of being an official member, I mean I could probably get a Spanish citizenship faster than Rosell's membership card for f**k sakes.

PaulFCB said:

I mean I could probably get a Spanish citizenship faster than Rosell's membership card for f**k sakes.

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this is probably true.

Galning said:

It's so hard to find an international soci who actually voted or attended a meeting before because they're always on impossible days

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Yeah, and unless of course you're absolutely loaded, it really needs to coincide with a match or another reason to travel to Barcelona. Thus far it's been impossible for me.
I must say, though, that even though I'm proud of being - and will keep on being for years to come - a soci, during the last few years with Rosell at the helm, it's been harder and harder having to fork out close to 200 euros come January.

PaulFCB said:

Rosell's thing is idiotic, not only that you have to wait 3 years by paying for a card that offers absolutely nothing

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That's not true. During those 3 years that you have your "commitment card", you get the same % of discount for games as normal members do (5% or 10%, I don't remember clearly anymore). The key difference is that you can not take part in the draws of important CL-away games (like the one against Munich in the Allianz arena). You also can't take part in the presidential election of course, but that's only once every 6 years anyway

but you have to be there to sign and pay at some point of the year, so even if you are a big fan and go to games cause you have money, you have to go when they want you to...

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It's a long period, between June or October I think. That's the best time of the year to visit Barcelona too (weather-wise etc.), so I don't see what's so bad about that. Supercopa-games (or Gamper) in August, and then in September or October there're plenty of games too.

They could well just let you be a member and have rights like it was till now, as long as you don't come to Barca to vote for a President why can't you benefit from things of being a member? Isn't it a Football Club? So its meant to have fans in the first place, if someone accept your sum of being an official member, I mean I could probably get a Spanish citizenship faster than Rosell's membership card for f**k sakes.

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Which rights do you want exactly (while having the 3-year-long commitment-card)? Being to able to vote for the president?

● you will NOT have the right to vote or participate in consultative processes or at General Assembly*
● you will NOT have preferential rights in the purchase of tickets either for home or away tickets, nor will you be able to participate in draws for tickets for finals
● you will NOT be able to have a season ticket for the Nou Camp or the Palau Blaugrana, nor will you be able to put your name down on any waiting list for these tickets - you will NOT be able to take part in the Llotja Oberta (Presidential Box) draw

So no preferential rights for HOME games too, the discount is rather nothing considering for someone who has to travel, the 5-10% difference isn't any big difference and also you can't really get your money worth after paying for the actual card, so chances you get a ticket at a SF with Bayern or a El Clasico without full membership seem 0, which are one of the main reasons people want to members anyway, not to mention Finals.
As for June-October, Supercopa is totally the least important trophy, Gamper is like the least interesting game of the whole season and recently you only get too see more of the B-Team, all you have is some games at the beginning of the season, even back in 2006 when I was at the 4-0 with Bayern I only got to see half a match of the first team, even so, nothing more special than the Dinamo-Barca from this summer when the deal was for the team to use the first team in the match, especially Messi. And anyway, no friendly can fight a real game, even if it's Barca-Man U Friendly vs. a Barca-Betis in La Liga for example.

PaulFCB said:

you will NOT have preferential rights in the purchase of tickets either for home or away tickets, nor will you be able to participate in draws for tickets for finals

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True, that's an important difference too (for the Milan-game it was easy to get a ticket as a non-soci, but for the Munich-game it was impossible indeed).

I also would have preferred if I could get a membership-card immediately, but well, until 2016 (end of Rosell's tenure) the rules won't change anyway, so I've chosen to apply for the "commitment card" last summer, that was my only option. End 2015 hopefully I'll be able to become a "true" soci

I think whatever is important is not there on the commitment card, for Milan after 2-0 on UEFA siro I could see that happening, problem is you never know when you can get some CL tickets so you have to buy plane tickets very late so more money over there too. Bucharest-Barcelona flights aren't cheap anyway, for Milan I could catch a ticket 1/3 of a price easily...
Not to mention I could've actually been a Soci today, I was in 2010 but then we didn't play the final, of course I wanted to continue and in 2011 I had no money till the April deadline, if I did, I could just sign for a new card with the 2 year minimum condition .
I would've went to a game in '10 but the problem was I said I'll leave it for '11 when I could go with a friend or two, plus, flights were messed up and I couldn't fly-game-fly back the same day or the next morning, I don't need to stay more, I visited Barcelona, plus paying for a hotel wasn't that worth, I would just spend the night after the game pubbing or even clubbing for that money.
I would sign for this card if I didn't have to go over there to sign, cause I would pay that money in the autumn and I would go to a match in April/May since for La Liga games, I can reserve a plane ticket in time as tickets can be found days before a game, but I would still want to go to at least an important game soon, it's not so affordable so it's not something I could do every month/2 months or even regularly twice a year...