Bohemians unveil their Community Wealth Building strategy for Dublin, backed by Catherine Connolly and Mary Robinson, aiming to create community-owned enterprises and a sustainable local economy.
Bohemians have long stood slightly apart within the League of Ireland. As the league’s oldest fan-owned club, they have built a reputation around culture, identity and community that extends well beyond results on the pitch. In recent years, that approach has translated into real commercial growth, most notably with merchandise revenue rising to over €2 million annually. It has been one of the clearest examples in the league of how connection can drive value.
Now, the club are taking a step that feels even more significant. Their Community Wealth Building strategy is not simply an extension of their existing work. It is a deliberate attempt to rethink how a football club can operate within its local economy and, crucially, how it can contribute to it in a meaningful and lasting way.
At a time when the League of Ireland is searching for sustainable models of growth, it feels like a timely and potentially important move.
A Model Built Around People And Place
At the centre of the strategy is a clear statement of intent.
“To build the institutional foundations of a democratic, community-owned economy in Dublin that tackles climate change and inequality together by ensuring the transition delivers visible and material benefits in people’s lives: decent, union-friendly jobs, lower household costs, stronger local services, expanded cooperative ownership, and wealth that stays circulating locally.”
While the language may sit outside traditional football discourse, the underlying idea is straightforward. It is about ensuring that the value generated around a club does not simply pass through, but instead remains within the community that supports it.
In practical terms, it positions Bohemians as more than a football club. It presents them as a potential platform for local economic activity, where supporters are not just consumers, but participants in a wider system.
Turning Vision Into Structure
What makes this initiative particularly compelling is the level of structure behind it. This is not a broad ambition without detail. It is a defined plan built around governance, delivery and measurable outcomes.
The creation of Bohemian Cooperatives CLG provides a clear organisational backbone, designed to manage funding, partnerships and oversight. Alongside this, the club has already developed an education and participation pathway, with over 200 individuals completing programmes that build skills and engagement within the community.
The strategy also outlines two key enterprise opportunities. The first, an insurance mutual, is projected to grow from €7.4 million in premiums in its first year to more than €40 million within five years. The second, a food systems cooperative, aims to strengthen local supply chains and ensure that more economic activity remains rooted in Dublin.
These are ambitious projects, but they are grounded in a simple principle captured clearly within the document.
“No margin, no mission.”
It reflects an understanding that for this model to succeed, it must work commercially as well as socially.
A Positive Signal For The League
The timing of this strategy feels particularly important. The League of Ireland is evolving, with increasing investment and growing attention both domestically and internationally. However, questions around sustainability, ownership models and long-term financial stability remain central.
Bohemians’ approach offers a constructive contribution to that conversation. Rather than relying on external investment, it explores how clubs can build internally sustainable systems that are rooted in their communities.
It is not presented as a universal solution, nor is it without risk. Execution will be complex, and balancing on-field performance with off-field ambition will remain a challenge. However, the willingness to innovate and to think beyond traditional revenue streams is, in itself, a positive development.
For a league that has often had to operate within tight financial constraints, this kind of thinking represents an opportunity. It broadens the scope of what growth can look like and encourages clubs to consider new ways of creating and retaining value.
A Step Forward With Wider Potential
The strategy sets out a clear measure of success.
“We will have succeeded if, by 2028, Dublin has a credible community-led platform for community wealth building and a practical mechanism for developing enterprises and institutions that allow workers, communities and the planet to thrive.”
It is a statement that places football within a much wider context. It suggests that clubs can play a role not just in sport, but in shaping the communities around them.
Whether the full ambition is realised will depend on delivery over the coming years. But as a direction of travel, it feels like a strong and progressive step.
For Bohemians, it reinforces their position as one of the most forward-thinking clubs in the country. For the League of Ireland, it offers a glimpse of what a more sustainable and community-rooted future might look like.
And in a league still building momentum, that feels like an idea worth paying attention to.