Football, democracy and freedom of speech, with Jimmy Dignam and Jørgen Watne Frydnes

In this special episode of Don’t Forget Your Tickets, recorded in Dublin, host Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg talks with Jimmy Dignam, COO of Bohemian FC, and Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Secretary General of PEN Norway and Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. They cover football and democracy, free speech, fan ownership, music and ticketing.

Watch the episode

A seven-course menu from Dublin

This episode comes as a seven-course menu. Football and democracy. Football and freedom of speech. Football and politics. Fan-owned clubs. Football in Ireland. A football shirt success story that ties football and music closer together than ever before. And, of course, ticketing.

The night before recording, Carl-Erik and his guests stood with the Bohs supporters at Dalymount Park. That energy carries through the whole conversation.

Meet the guests

Jimmy Dignam is COO of Bohemian FC, a club owned and run by its members since 1890. He explains why a football club should use its voice for the community it represents, and how Bohs turned member ownership from a burden into its global message.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes is Secretary General of PEN Norway, the Norwegian branch of PEN International, and Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. He explains why PEN Norway backed Brann in its dispute with UEFA, and what is lost when free expression stops at the turnstile.

What’s on the menu

• Football and democracy: what democracy means inside a football club, and how Bohs gives members a real say on the hard decisions.
• Football and freedom of speech: Brann’s win against UEFA in a dispute, and why football should protect the space for free expression.
• Football and politics: banner fines in Ireland, solidarity, and why sport is a place where values can be won back.
• Fan-owned clubs: how the model that nearly sank Bohs became the story that tripled its membership without a trophy in sight.
• Football in Ireland: Dalymount Park, Dublin rivalries, groundhoppers, and why up to 30% of tickets for some matches go to fans abroad.
• Football and music: from Bob Marley to Kneecap, how the Bohs music jerseys raised more than €1 million over three seasons and carry messages the club believes in.
• Ticketing: fan-led pricing, World Cup ticket prices, and how to carry a matchday culture into a new stadium.

The ticketing takeaway

When clubs explain a season ticket price rise to their fans, instead of deciding it behind closed doors, fans take ownership of the decision and much of the conflict goes away. Bohs fans proved it when they voted to raise the price of a pint in their own stadium.

Why listen

If you care about the role football plays in society, this episode is well worth your time. Pull up a chair for a conversation from Dublin about what football owes its fans.

Guests: Jimmy Dignam, COO, Bohemian FC, and Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Secretary General, PEN Norway, and Chair, Norwegian Nobel Committee
Host: Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, Don’t Forget Your Tickets