Don't Forget Your Tickets

This is a special episode of Don’t Forget Your Tickets, and it 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.

Host Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg recorded the episode in Dublin with two guests. Jimmy Dignam is COO of Bohemian FC, a club owned and run by its members since 1890. Jørgen Watne Frydnes is Secretary General of PEN Norway, the Norwegian branch of PEN International, and Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The night before, the three of them stood with the Bohs supporters at Dalymount Park, and that energy carries through the conversation.

Jimmy 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 explains why PEN Norway backed Brann in its dispute with UEFA, and what is lost when free expression stops at the turnstile. Together they look at a world where the space for free speech is shrinking, and at the choices clubs and fans can make locally to push back.

The ticketing course is a good one. 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.

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.

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. Make sure to subscribe.

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

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

What if the answers to a club's biggest commercial questions are already sitting in its own data? Ticketing, retail, hospitality, sponsorship and digital each gather it every day, yet much of it stays in the department that collected it.

In this episode of Don't Forget Your Tickets, host Clare Kenny sits down with Will Follis, Commercial Insights Manager at Crystal Palace Football Club and one of SIG NextGen's '30 Under 30'. Will took a route into football that few would plan. He went from youth football and coaching badges to degrees in psychology and sports psychology, then a part-time PhD alongside a job in investment management. He gave up both to focus on what he did best, which led him through consumer research and YouGov Sport to Selhurst Park.

Clare and Will met at the Football BlackBook Let's Get Engaged event at Millwall, where one theme ran through the whole day: data, and what clubs do with it. This conversation picks up that thread. Will explains how Palace has used its FA Cup win and European run to push harder commercially, why the club wants to grow revenue while keeping fans at the heart of every decision, and how insight will shape the new Main Stand at Selhurst Park.

They also talk about segmentation and the fans who surprised the club most. Some supporters follow more than one team, and some engage mostly through digital channels and retail, rarely coming to a match. Will shares why sending fewer, better messages matters more than filling inboxes, why AI should make a club more human, and why he still listens to fans in the stands as closely as he reads any survey.

In this episode, we cover:

• From psychology to Palace: How Will's unusual path through academia, finance and market research shaped the curious mindset he brings to the club.
• Outside in, inside out: What changed when Will moved from advising clubs and federations at YouGov Sport to delivering results inside a club.
• Building on success: How the FA Cup win and European football have given Palace a global platform, and why the club wants to act on it now.
• Segmentation in practice: Rolling out fan segments across every department, and what the data revealed about multi-club fans and digital-first supporters.
• Personalisation and AI: Using the club's customer data platform to send messages that matter, and why AI should free staff to think rather than replace them.
• Curiosity and gut instinct: Why every good business case starts with a question, and how data then gives it weight.

If you work in club commercial teams, fan engagement or data strategy, this episode is well worth your time. Tune in for a candid look at how one Premier League club turns fan data into better decisions and closer fans. Make sure to subscribe.

Guest: Will Follis, Commercial Insights Manager, Crystal Palace Football Club
Host: Clare Kenny, Chief Commercial Officer, TicketCo

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

Ticketing sits at the heart of every football club. But do the people who run it get the respect they deserve?

In this episode of Don't Forget Your Tickets, host Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg sits down with two of the five winners of the TicketCo Ticketing Manager of the Year Awards 2026, Natasha Fitzgerald of Woking FC, who won the National League award, and Scott Smyth of Coleraine FC, who won the NIFL award. 

This is a warm and honest conversation about what it actually takes to run ticketing at a football club. Natasha explains how she landed in ticketing almost by accident, after taking what she thought would be an easy admin role at Woking, and how she has since grown into a sales and events coordinator, working to turn Kingfield Stadium into a venue for concerts, festivals and a Christmas market. Scott talks about growing up around Coleraine Football Club from the age of four or five, and taking on ticketing alongside the retail shop as the club moved into digital sales and prepared for European football for the first time.

Carl-Erik, Natasha and Scott talk about what it means to win an award voted for by fans, the trust built up over years of match days, and the small moments that matter most, such as sourcing a lost ticket for a fan two hours before kick off for an away match in Finland. They also discuss the balance between digital ticketing and cash, the challenge of serving older fans who still want a paper ticket or a phone call, and the ambition both clubs share to make their stadiums useful beyond ninety minutes on a Saturday.

In this episode we cover the following topics.

• How they fell into ticketing. Natasha's move from an admin role into ticketing and retail at Woking, and Scott's path from ball boy and shop volunteer to running Coleraine's ticketing.
• Meet Woking and Coleraine. The history and ambitions of both clubs, including Woking's long history at Kingfield and Coleraine's approaching centenary at the Showgrounds.
• Playing in Europe. What it took for Coleraine to prepare for European football for the first time, under digital ticketing and UEFA rules.
• What winning feels like. How it felt for both Natasha and Scott to be voted Ticketing Manager of the Year by fans, and what it says about the relationships they have built.
• A ticketing emergency in Finland. Scott's story of sorting out a fan's lost ticket at the stadium gates in Helsinki, just before kick off.
• Digital ticketing for every fan. How both clubs balance digital sales with cash and phone bookings, so no fan is left behind.
• Turning stadiums into event spaces. Natasha's plans to bring concerts, festivals and a Christmas market to Kingfield Stadium, and Scott's growing calendar of summer camps and Halloween events at Coleraine.
• Funding stadium improvements. Scott on Coleraine's long wait for support from the Northern Ireland Football Fund, and the work already under way to improve the ground.

If you want to hear what it really takes to keep fans happy on a match day, and how two clubs outside the top flight are finding new ways to use their stadiums, this episode is well worth your time. Tune in for an honest and often funny look at life as a ticketing manager. Make sure to subscribe.

Guests. Natasha Fitzgerald, Sales and Events Coordinator at Woking FC, and Scott Smyth, Ticketing Manager at Coleraine Football Club. Host. Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, Don't Forget Your Tickets.

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

Every year, an estimated 40 million football seats across Europe go unsold. What would it take to turn that empty space into revenue, loyal fans, and a stronger club?

In this episode of Don't Forget Your Tickets, host Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg sits down with Jim McCarthy, founder of Impresario Strategic Growth Service in Pasadena, California. Jim's career stretches back to the earliest days of e-commerce, from managing Amazon's partnership at GeoCities in the 1990s to building Goldstar into one of the leading platforms for unsold live event inventory, helping more than 25,000 rights holders sell tickets to over 2 million events.

This is a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to fill a stadium. Jim traces his path from the dot-com boom through two decades running Goldstar, and explains why he decided, after selling the business in 2021, to found Impresario and focus specifically on the roughly 1,950 professional football clubs in the world that are not among the top 50. He speaks candidly about the scale of the problem across European football, and why filling the stadium matters more than winning.

Carl-Erik and Jim also explore how ticketing technology has changed since the days before apps and APIs, why so many clubs have lost the art of personalisation they once practised, and why a ticket should be treated as raw material rather than a finished product. They discuss revenue per seat as the real measure of success, and why the conversation about unsold inventory needs to reach the owner's desk, not stay buried in the ticketing department.

In this episode, we cover:

• From GeoCities to Goldstar: How Jim's early years managing Amazon's e-commerce partnership shaped a career that would later take him into live event ticketing.
• Building Goldstar Events: Using machine learning to match fans with events, working directly with major ticketing systems including Ticketmaster, and turning unsold inventory into a business that lasted nearly twenty years.
• Then versus now: What ticketing technology could and could not do before apps and APIs existed, and why some of the old lessons in personalisation have been forgotten.
• Why Impresario exists: What Jim learnt from a year of conversations with club owners, and why 40 million unsold seats a year in European football became the problem he wanted to solve.
• Revenue per seat: How Impresario's Match Day Multiplier programme measures success with clubs, and why filling the stadium is, in Jim's words, more important than winning.

If you are interested in ticketing strategy, e-commerce history, or how football clubs outside the elite can build sustainable revenue, this episode is well worth your time. Tune in for a candid, detailed look at turning unsold inventory into full stadiums. Make sure to subscribe.

Guest: Jim McCarthy – Founder, Impresario Strategic Growth Service – [email protected]
Host: Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg – Don't Forget Your Tickets

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

How did English football go from one of the most dangerous sporting environments in the world to the most commercially powerful league on the planet? The answer starts with tragedy, and with a government that told football it had to change or face closure.

In part two of this special two-part episode of Don't Forget Your Ticket, host Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg continues his conversation with Dr. Giambattista Rossi, Senior Lecturer at Birkbeck Business School, University of London. Where part one examined the economics of superstar signings and the structural decline of Italian football, part two widens the lens to England and beyond: the painful history that forced English football to rebuild itself, the wave of American ownership reshaping the Premier League, the Saudi Arabian experiment, and the question of where the global game goes from here.

Giambattista is as direct in this episode as he was in the first. Why did Hillsborough and Bradford change everything about how English football is run? Why did the Glazers get it so wrong at Manchester United while Liverpool and Arsenal got it right? What does a conversation with the chief revenue officer of Ronaldo's Saudi club reveal about the limits of money without culture? And why does he see Multi-Club Ownership as becoming, in his own words, a bit of a curse for the sport?

For a podcast rooted in the commercial and ticketing realities of sport, this episode is where the argument lands. The Premier League's dominance was built on a deliberate reinvention of the matchday experience: who it was for, what it cost, and what it felt like to be there. That transformation carried a price, and lower-league clubs and women's football are now absorbing the fans the top end has priced out. The connection between ownership strategy, community identity and what fans actually experience in the stadium has never been more important to understand.

In this episode, we cover:

How the Premier League was really built: The Hillsborough and Bradford disasters, the Taylor Report, and the deliberate repositioning of English football from a working-class product to a middle-class one, and why understanding that history is the only way to understand the present.

American owners in England: Why the Glazers at Manchester United got it so wrong, why Liverpool and Arsenal got it right, and why Chelsea's new ownership was a total disaster on the pitch, despite deep pockets.

The Saudi Arabia experiment: Why Giambattista calls it a chimera, what a conversation with the chief revenue officer of Ronaldo's club revealed about contracts, culture, and the limits of money without infrastructure, and why empty stands at an Italian Cup Final in Riyadh said everything.

The real England: Why local clubs are the oldest monuments in their communities, why fans are increasingly turning to women's football for the atmosphere the Premier League has priced out, and what English football risks losing if it does not protect that connection.

The future of the global game: Why the MLS is on track to enter the top five, why collective bargaining agreements are coming to football, and why Multi-Club Ownership, for all its financial logic, is becoming, in Giambattista's words, a bit of a curse for the sport.

Whether you follow the Premier League, work in sports business, or are fascinated by how commercial forces and community identity collide inside football clubs, this episode gives you a clear framework for what is actually happening and where it is heading. If you have not listened to part one yet, start there.

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Guest: Dr. Giambattista Rossi, Senior Lecturer, Birkbeck Business School, University of London
Host: Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, Don't Forget Your Ticket

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

What does a football club actually buy when it signs a global superstar? Is it results, a bigger brand, or both? And when that calculation goes wrong, what does it cost the club for years to come?

In this special two-part episode of Don’t Forget Your Ticket, host Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg sits down with Dr. Giambattista Rossi, Senior Lecturer at Birkbeck Business School, University of London and one of the most candid voices in football economics today. Part one opens with the economics of signing superstars, drawing on lessons from American sport, before turning to Italian football: its structural decline, its identity crisis, and the stories of clubs that invested heavily in star power and paid a far higher price than expected.

Giambattista brings an economist’s rigour and an insider’s directness to questions the football world often prefers to leave unanswered. Why is Italian football increasingly irrelevant on the global stage? How did the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo set Juventus on a path from the epitome of stability to the epitome of instability? Why do Inter Milan and AC Milan (two of the most recognised brands in world football) still lack proper owners? And is Como’s rise a genuine model for others to follow, or a story that only works as long as the money keeps flowing?

For a podcast rooted in the commercial and ticketing realities of sport, this conversation addresses something every club must eventually face: the relationship between what happens on the pitch, who owns the club, and what that means for the fans in the seats. When financial decisions are driven by real estate ambitions, capital gains targets, and ownership structures that treat football as a secondary concern, the matchday experience (and the commercial ecosystem around it) pays the price.

In this episode, we cover:

The superstar economics question: What clubs are really buying when they sign a global name, why football’s collective nature makes individual productivity harder to measure than in American sport, and how clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid have built entirely different strategies around it.

Italian football’s arrogance problem: How decades of assumed superiority, shifting demographics, and a financial model built on media money that no longer exists have combined to leave Italian football in a deepening crisis.

The Juventus and Ronaldo story: Why the signing was a complete outlier in Juventus’s recruitment culture, why their sporting director walked out over it, and how the chain of events that followed brought one of Europe’s most stable clubs to the epitome of instability.

Investment funds as owners: Why Inter Milan and AC Milan are still controlled by financial institutions rather than genuine football owners, and what that signals about the real depth of the crisis in Italian club football.

Como: fairy tale or illusion? Why Giambattista refuses to call it a model, and why the question of what happens when the owner leaves is the only one that really matters.

If you work in sport, follow football, or are interested in the commercial and economic forces shaping how clubs operate and how fans engage with them, this episode is essential listening. Subscribe now so you don’t miss part two. 

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Guest: Dr. Giambattista Rossi, Senior Lecturer, Birkbeck Business School, University of London

Host: Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, Don’t Forget Your Ticket

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

What does it take to buy your local football club, clear its debts, grow its fanbase, and aim for the Premier League by 2038?

In this episode of Don't Forget Your Ticket, host Clare Kenny sits down with Spencer Gore, owner, chairman and group CEO of Chelmsford City Football Club. Spencer’s story is far from typical. After building a successful medical publishing business, he turned a long-held personal ambition into reality by buying his hometown club and committing himself to its future on and off the pitch.

This is a fascinating conversation about what modern football ownership really looks like below the top tiers. Spencer shares how Chelmsford City went from being an unloved club carrying inherited debt to one with renewed momentum, stronger attendances, and bold long-term plans. He speaks candidly about the pressure, cost and unpredictability of running a football club, while keeping a clear focus on leaving it in a better place than he found it.

Clare and Spencer also explore the bigger picture behind the headlines: what sustainable growth looks like in non-league football, why fan engagement matters as much as recruitment, and how data, community identity and matchday experience all play a role in building a club that can climb. Whether or not Chelmsford reaches the Premier League by its centenary year, this episode offers a sharp, honest look at ambition in action.

In this episode, we cover:

• From business to football ownership: How Spencer went from building a global publishing business to buying his local club and turning a personal dream into a serious long-term project.
• Financial reset and club rebuild: Why clearing inherited debt was an early priority and how Chelmsford City has been put on a stronger footing financially.
• Premier League by 2038: The thinking behind Spencer’s bold centenary ambition, with milestones for reaching the National League and the Football League first.
• Fans, growth and community identity: How direct supporter engagement, affordable ticketing and a family-friendly atmosphere have helped drive a major rise in attendances.
• Recruitment, data and the next step: Why smarter player recruitment, stronger football structures and better fan data are central to Chelmsford’s future growth.

If you’re interested in football, sports business, fan engagement, and how clubs grow from the ground up, this episode is well worth your time. Tune in for an honest and ambitious conversation about leadership, community, and the realities of building a football club for the long term. Make sure to subscribe.

Guest: Spencer Gore – Owner, Chairman and Group CEO, Chelmsford City Football Club
Host: Clare Kenny – Don't Forget Your Ticket

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

What does great ticketing look like when you’re the person making matchday happen under pressure every single week?

In this special edition of Don’t Forget Your Tickets, host Clare Kenny sits down with the three winners of the 2025 Ticketing Manager of the Year Awards: Andy Gate of Oxford City Football Club, Ollie Gout of Dorking Wanderers Football Club, and Sarah Rowntree of Hartlepool United Football Club. Together, they share an honest, funny, and insightful look at the realities of running ticketing operations at football clubs where no two matchdays are ever the same.

Published on the same day that public voting opens for the 2026 Ticketing Manager of the Year shortlist, this episode shines a light on the people behind the turnstiles, the inbox, the data, and the fan journey. From last-minute headaches and player ticket requests to long-term strategy and supporter loyalty, Clare explores what it really takes to deliver a better experience for fans.

This is a conversation about more than ticket sales. It’s about community, innovation, accessibility, women in football, and the legacy ticketing professionals can leave behind when they help make clubs more welcoming, more responsive, and more connected to their supporters.

In this episode, we cover:

• Matchday Pressure: The early starts, last-minute changes, and unpredictable problems that ticketing managers handle before most fans even arrive.
• How They Fell Into Ticketing: The very different career journeys that brought Andy, Ollie, and Sarah into football operations and supporter experience.
• Fan Experience and Innovation: Why flexibility, affordability, subscriptions, and smarter systems matter for modern clubs and modern supporters.
• Supporter Data That Makes a Difference: How better data can help clubs understand loyalty, personalise offers, and improve matchday for different types of fans.
• Community Outreach and Club Identity: From grassroots engagement to youth initiatives and fan-first thinking, how clubs build lifelong connections beyond the ticket office.
• Women in Football: Sarah reflects on her journey in the game, the progress being made, and the importance of creating pathways for women and girls in football.
• Collaboration Between Clubs: How ticketing teams work together, especially around high-demand fixtures, away allocations, and supporter safety.
• The Legacy of This Era: What each guest hopes people will say they got right 10 years from now, from removing barriers to making football more accessible and community-led.

Whether you work in sports ticketing, run fan operations, or want a closer look at the people shaping supporter experience behind the scenes, this episode offers practical insight and real perspective from three of the best in the business.

Tune in to hear from the 2025 winners, and don’t forget to cast your vote as the 2026 Ticketing Manager of the Year public voting opens today. Make sure to subscribe.

Guests: Andy Gate – Oxford City Football Club; Ollie Gout – Dorking Wanderers Football Club; Sarah Rowntree – Hartlepool United Football Club
Host: Clare Kenny – Don’t Forget Your Tickets

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

How do you run two distinct football clubs in different countries while keeping their local community heartbeat alive?

We explore the realities of modern football management with Steve Curwood, Chief Executive of both Fleetwood Town FC (EFL League Two) and Waterford FC (League of Ireland). From navigating the English Football League to driving growth across the Irish Sea, Steve operates at a fascinating intersection of sport, strategy, and community impact.

In this episode of Don't Forget Your Tickets, host Clare Kenny sits down with Steve to unpack how modern clubs evolve. Steve shares his journey from the banking sector to the football boardroom, offering a candid look at the challenges and opportunities of multi-club ownership. He explains how Brexit forced a shift in recruitment strategy, leading to a unique partnership that respects the fierce independence of both fanbases while sharing vital resources.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Multi-Club Reality: How Brexit shaped Fleetwood’s expansion into Ireland and the delicate balance of running two independent, community-driven clubs.
• Rising Tides in Ireland: The current boom in the League of Ireland, the impact of European football, and the untapped goldmine of academy infrastructure.
• Sustainable Strategy: Navigating EFL salary protocols, the role of an independent regulator, and why developing talent internally beats chaotic spending.
• Community Identity: How to maintain a tight-knit, hardworking family culture as a football club scales.
• Modernising Matchday: The journey to update legacy ticketing systems, better understand supporter habits, and create a seamless fan experience.

Whether you run a football club, work in sports business, or simply love the mechanics behind the beautiful game, this episode delivers deep insights into what makes a club thrive off the pitch.

Tune in to discover how to build a resilient, community-first football network! Make sure to subscribe.

Guest: Steve Curwood – CEO, Fleetwood Town FC & Waterford FC
Host: Clare Kenny – Don't Forget Your Tickets

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/

Football fandom is much more than a weekend pastime—it is a lifelong, intergenerational commitment that shapes our identity. Yet, the modern sports industry often treats loyal supporters as simple consumers.

In this episode of Don't Forget Your Tickets, host Carl-Erik Moberg sits down with Ryan McKnight, a former football club CEO turned academic researcher. Drawing from his frontline experience running Stockport County and his current PhD research, Ryan challenges our current understanding of fan engagement. He argues for a paradigm shift that redefines fandom as a "cradle to the grave" experience, rooted in community, tradition, and authentic connection.

Ryan strips away the transactional nature of modern football to explore how clubs of all sizes can foster deeper, more meaningful bonds with their communities without relying purely on on-pitch success.

In this episode, we cover:

• Redefining Fandom: Why being a supporter is an active, lifelong pursuit rather than a simple consumer choice.
• Rethinking the Season Ticket: The challenges of modern fan engagement and the shift toward long-term, intergenerational relationships.
• The Power of Storytelling: How clubs can leverage their unique history and local pride to create unbreakable bonds.
• Community and Identity: Real-world examples, like Bohemians FC, that showcase the impact of shared values and authentic narratives.
• The Future of Ticketing: How industry professionals can actively shape a better, more connected future for the sport.

Whether you manage a club, work in sports ticketing, or simply love the beautiful game, this episode offers a fresh, thought-provoking perspective on what it truly means to be a supporter.

Listen to the episode now and subscribe to Don't Forget Your Tickets for more expert industry insights!

Don't Forget Your Tickets is powered by TicketCo, hosted by TicketCo’s CEO and founder, Carl-Erik Michalsen Moberg, and co-hosted by TicketCo's CCO Clare Kenny. The podcast was originally launched under the name TicketingPodcast.com. To learn more about TicketCo, please check out our web page ticketco.io or visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ticketco/