Are football fans in Dublin connected with any political matters?

artanevilla

Bohs are involved in a lot of social and community initiatives. I wouldn't call it politics, they are not affiliated with any political party and count as members people of all political parties and members. Board members and staff come from a wide spectrum of backgrounds a political beliefs.

Welcoming people from LGBT backgrounds into football (a traditionally not friendly place) is not politics, bringing people in direct provision to games is not politics, working with prisoners in Mountjoy is not politics, bringing attention to climate change is not politics, donating presents to kids at Christmas is not politics, supporting kids to play football in war torn areas is not politics. These are social issues and the club is just trying to make its local community a better more inclusive place, these issues go across the whole political spectrum (except maybe the extreme far right, who are anti everything).

Some of the stuff can be a bit cringe but it gets the club attention. We've grown our membership from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand in a short number of years.

Some like the poster strumms above would prefer the club go back to the days of 800 people at a game and four million in debt and can't see the wood for the trees. You wouldn't be able to pick up the phone to these sponsors if not for these initiatives, unless you want a five figure sum to plaster a gambling company on the front of your jersey.

For the information of that poster, zero sponsorship money has been forgone for the likes for the refugees welcome shirt, it had the full support of the clubs main sponsor, the % of profits of the sales of this shirt donated to charity pales in comparison to the revenue generated by the club for it. How many away shirts does a LOI team sell a season? I will tell you it is a fraction of what this shirt sold. Add to that the revenue (into six figures) that the Bob Marley shirt generated (and continues to do so). Other clubs wouldn't even clear four figures on away shirts not to mention the worldwide headlines in major publications these shirts generate.

It's also worth noting that ALL of these initiatives are driven and organised by non-playing volunteers, there is a complete separation between this stuff and what happens on the pitch. It is absolute idiocy of the highest order to suggest that the footballing side has been affected negatively by all of this recent advocacy. We have gone from fielding a team of amateurs a few years ago to having one of the top 5 or 6 playing budgets in the league with a full time playing and coaching staff and director of football. Any playing/coaching staff involved in the above stuff is purely voluntary from their point of view and in fact it's something a lot of them enjoy, going into Mountjoy etc.

These initiative generate and INCREDIBLE amount of revenue. Bohemian FC is 100% member owned and we are competing in a league with billionaire owners like Shamrock Rovers, Derry and St.Pat's and we are competitive. All revenue is self generated.

For people like strumms above who bizarry believe that somehow this is preventing the club from winning the league, can they please suggest how the club would have gone full time without all this publicity which has filled our stadium? Genuine question. I guarantee you weren't at the meeting a few years ago when the club was pretty much dead in the water and people were discussing what the new club would be called and what it would be like watching the club playing LSL football in the Phoenix Park.

The club might be considered left leaning, but the reality is the majority of fans who go on a regular basis home and away are working class folk from places like Finglas, Cabra, Ballymun and Blanchardstown. I go home and away, spend a lot of money on the club and volunteer. I don't think I've ever once in all my years going (since mid-90s) gotten into a political discussion at the club or with any other Bohs fan. However if I was on twitter I'd be sure to be dragged into one by fans of other clubs who scoff at this stuff while their own club posts losses every season written off by a wealthy owner.

I own my football club, I'm not just a fan. I'm proud to say that and I'm proud to see first hand the difference it has made in people's lives and it not just being about 90 minutes of a load of young lads kicking a ball around, and I'm even prouder that so called fans like strumms are struggling seeing the club reach a new level of success both on and off the pitch.

Guest193

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626576#Comment_120626576

Fair play for this post very good explanation of things..

I have different point of view but have to agree to something. Basicly it's all about money. So all them anti racist campaigns, refugees welcome, lgbt etc provides revenue, brings attention from sponsors and other people because it's a current trend in Ireland. So it could be a matter that even though most people support the initiative the don't really agree with it, but oficially they will pretend to support it and like it because there is benefits. Fair play at least I know now.

artanevilla

It provides revenue for the club both directly through shirt sales and indirectly through promotion in the community which increases gates and also encourages sponsorship from companies who want to be associated.

On the other hand it has enormous benefit for the community and provides a social outlet for fans of sport, certainly for those who may not have been comfortable in a football stadium before.

Ask the numerous volunteers who give up their time freely to work in the community if it's basically all about the money. As we are are 100% members owned club, there is no incentive to generate a profit for the shareholders, no dividends are paid out. All revenue generated is invested back into the club, including into the playing side which has the effect of improved performances on the pitch, it generates employment and grants more resources for these initiatives.

mikemac2

In my days as a Shelbourne season ticket holder, a member of the 1895 trust and attended some open meetings with former chairman Joe Casey I cannot remember anyone ever discussing politics, not once.

Sure there are references to Dublin City Council but every football club in the world has dealing with their council. Finian McGrath TD had a pitchside board but that's just advertising. He might have put out an article now and again about the club but nothing like the OP is referring to

Nope, fans were there for the football and the club was trying hard to bring children and families to the games. I never heard politics and anyway you switch off from the 24/7 news cycle at a game and enjoy it

Sam Russell

I think here should be a distinction between 'supporters' and 'fans'.

Supporters buy tickets, and season tickets at that. They fund the club themselves through that. They wear the clubs colours, and travel to see them play live.

Fans are only interested in the club by watching games on RTE2, and following the results and comments in the media.

Supporters are invested in the club for its own sake and the sport it espouses, and not politics.

That Lambert lad involved with Bohs seems to love the whole football as a political vehicle thing. He’s a bit much tbh.

riffmongous

140,000 raised for St. Francis Hospice by Bohs last weekend with their Aslan/Christy Dignam tribute shirt

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626576#Comment_120626576

I wouldn’t prefer that Bohs go back to being in debt and crap attendances, no. That’s a disingenuous statement on your behalf and people will see through it.

id quite frankly push improving the product on the pitch and around it.

giving away advertising space on shirts, and elsewhere. Aslan, Palestine for life, Refugees welcome, the list is endless. So it’s not just “ non playing volunteers” spearheading this guff…

successful clubs ON the pitch are ran as successful businesses off it. That’s a simple fact.

new levels of success on and off the pitch ? Last won the league 14 years ago, cup, 15 years ago. You’ve some way to go convincing us that new levels of success have or are about to happen.

considering the club won doubles, what new levels of success are you on about exactly ?

Years trying to get the stadium renovated/rebuilt and in the end had to sell their stadium to Dublin City Council… to fund it and pay off debts…since then the development plans have been downscaled, significantly…

There is no new level of success either on or off the pitch as you claim.

Annd9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626196#Comment_120626196

Bohs newer fan base would be very left leaning alright , the older crew not so much. This can be seen in videos where they are doing monkey chants at a Shels player in the 90's .

Shelbourne had a fan group in the late 80's early 90's who's banner displayed a hammer and sickle. The new batch seem to keep it totally apolitical.

Rovers older crew seemed to be apolitical but like Bohs the newer middle class crew brought the antifa side of things into play .

Pats seemed to be apolitical for years but as mentioned above newer middle class fans seemed to get more involved and the political stuff crept in but not in a major way .

Would say most groups at these clubs would class themselves as republican . As mentioned elsewhere Rovers would have strong connections with Clifftonville and Bohs with Celtic . Shelbournes main group is named in Irish and use the Phoenix from the flames as their emblem so would imagine they have republican leanings .

eire4

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120626576#Comment_120626576

Thank you for so brilliantly articulating who Bohemians are. As someone who grew up playing for what it was then in the Belvedere to Bohemians road before the more recent academy I am proud to be a Bohs man and think that it is great to see how the club has developed in recent years. It will always be very difficult for Bohs in the current climate to challenge the clubs with billionaire owners in terms of winning titles but where Bohs are today as opposed to the near bankruptcy in 2015 is a testament to the amazing work done by the members since then.