I haven’t covered the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland for a few years, but when I did, there was one journey I always enjoyed. The away dressing-rooms at Dalymount Park, home of Bohemians FC, are at the far end of the ground from where I used to park, just off St Peter’s Road.

So, after speaking to whoever was Cork City manager after the game – I make it four in the period from 2018-21 – the most direct route back to the car was across the famous turf.

It’s a cliché to say that you can feel the history of a place around you, but at Dalymount, standing on the grass, it really is the case. Dalymount Park: The Home of Irish Football, by Colin White, is a picture-book that conveys that sense perfectly.

Dalymount is in line for redevelopment but, while Bohemians are aware of the need to move with the times, the club remains rooted in a community ethos rather than chasing success for the sake of success.

“A GAA club that plays football,” is how Bohs chief commercial officer Daniel Lambert describes the Phibsborough outfit and it’s hard to argue. The board answers to its members, rather than the club being the plaything for a wealthy owner and that has been the case since its formation in 1890.

Along with Sligo Rovers, it is the only member-owned club currently operating in the league of Ireland, with a total of 52 community youth teams under the red and black banner, from nursery level up to the men’s and women’s sides operating in the top leagues.

“Our mission statement is to use football as a force for good,” Lambert says.

“We have an amputee team, a Down Syndrome team and a walking-football programme. Inclusivity is a major part of who we are – we have around 3,000 members, with some in every single county.

“That even extends to how we operate on social media – we don’t have a separate account for our women’s teams, because we see it all as operating under the one Bohemians heading, all playing for the same crest.”

Which is not to say that the women’s team is merely an after-thought, welded on to a men’s club – far from it.

First accepted into the Women’s National League in 2020, Bohs reached the FAI Cup final last year, losing narrowly to Athlone Town, while they were also the runners-up in the All-Island Cup, beaten by Wexford on penalties.

Now, a sponsorship deal with Virgin Media Ireland marks another major step for the club.

“The women’s team play at Dalymount, which we’re delighted with,” says Lambert, “but we’ve worked on making it a different matchday experience – for example, there’s a different stadium announcer for Women’s National League games.

“Last year, we had the highest average attendance in the league and the team made the two finals, so you can see there is clear progress.

“To have a company like Virgin Media partnering with us underlines that sense – they’ve done an awful lot for the game as a whole in Ireland and to have them visible as a key club partner is something we’re proud of.

“The new women’s jersey is likely to be popular too, because it has red and black stripes whereas the men’s doesn’t!”

The men’s team’s kit for 2026 that Lambert refers to is a mainly-red offering that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Bohs and long-time partner Des Kelly entering into the first shirt sponsorship deal in the UK and Ireland.

It simultaneously shows that enterprising originality has been associated with the club for a long time as well as being the latest in a long run of Bohs jerseys that have attracted attention.

Kneecap manager

In addition to his Bohs role, Lambert manages Kneecap and this season their name graces the away shirt, which also shows support for Palestine. The hip-hop group follow the likes of Oasis, Fontaines DC and Thin Lizzy in being showcased on a Bohs change kit, generating publicity and sales far beyond the traditional League of Ireland reach.

Bob Marley’s 1980 gig at Dalymount was commemorated on another shirt, while a special FAI Cup kit in 2022 featured a Dublin Bus seat pattern and in 2025 the away kit carried the Guinness logo.

The generosity of main sponsors Des Kelly Interiors in allowing the front-of-shirt space to be taken by other logos – in 2020, the away jersey carried the message ‘Refugees Welcome’ – has helped Bohs to raise more than €1m for charitable causes and Lambert estimates that kit sales – to over 50 countries – account for around half of club turnover, whereas for other clubs it’s likely to be 5-10 percent.

“Everyone wants to win,” Lambert says, “but the way we’d look at it is that, if you’re doing the right things, success becomes a by-product of that.

“Obviously, there are lots of other clubs that have had owners come in and provide huge funding but we’ve never had a situation at an AGM where there is a demand for that to happen here. When you are member-owned, it makes it all the more special when there are big achievements like winning leagues or cups or getting into Europe, as happened last season.”