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.
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.
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.
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.
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