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Lambert insists that, despite their corporate partners, Bohs have not felt pressured to act any differently, meaning they can undertake their community work freely. There is a message positioned above one of the stands at Dalymount Park, which was once sold to advertisers, but now reads: \u201cLove football, hate racism\u201d with a raised fist at its centre. \u201cWe used to sell that space,\u201d Lambert explains. \u201cBut now, rather than a company, there\u2019s an anti-racism message that may shape people\u2019s views. It\u2019s not a lecture. It just exists. And, on the side of the pitch now is a large mural with the Palestinian flag and the Irish flag. That\u2019s in the stadium \u2013 4,000 people seeing that every Friday. That might challenge some things that people are hearing in another part of their day or week.\u201d<\/p>\n
And it’s these supporters who form the true foundations of the club, and its values. Being fully fan-owned naturally requires the need to serve its members, which in turn means embodying their values, while empowering them to make decisions about how their club is run. As important as results on the pitch are, Bohs can\u2019t just stick to the football.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe success of the football club,\u201d Lambert says, \u201cdirectly rests on thousands of people willing to become a member, give time, buy shirts, all that stuff. If we\u2019re to be successful, there has to be something that motivates and connects with these people beyond results on the pitch. If we can champion issues that are faced by the people of Dublin or Ireland, or issues that are close to their hearts that may be further afield, like in Palestine, then ultimately that\u2019s connecting with people in a real way.\u201d<\/p>\n
That opening match of the season, against Shamrock Rovers in the Aviva, ended with a 1-0 victory to Bohs. It had not been a classic. Once the flares before kick-off had dissipated, the game settled into a generally flat, start-of-season spectacle, defined by rust and still-stiff joints. But compared to watching the Premier League<\/a> on TV, where waxed millionaires with nice hair and stone-carved bellies pass sideways around the back, this League of Ireland match, in which good-but-not-elite athletes twatted the ball long and attacked down the wings, was magical. It was a fun day, underpinned by the warm hum of knowing the home team on the pitch actually speaks to the values of its fans. Win or lose \u2013 and the Bohs men\u2019s team, following this game, would indeed go on a run of terrible form \u2013 there is more to this thing than three points and making money.<\/p>\n \u201cThe club gets hit with [calls to] \u2018focus on the football\u2019, this kind of stuff,\u201d Conway tells me. \u201cIf you\u2019re somebody who gets their fix out of a result on a Friday night, then happy days. But this club can impact many more people in the community who\u2019ll never step foot into Dalymount on a Friday night. And that can be their three points, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n Tiernan Cannon is an Irish freelance writer. Follow him on X<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Buy your copy of Huck 81 here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram<\/a> and sign up to our newsletter<\/a> for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.<\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/em>