Sean McCabe - Building Community Power Through Sport: The Promise of Community Wealth Building

Seán McCabe is the Head of Climate Justice and Sustainability at Bohemian Football Club (Bohemians FC) in Dublin Ireland, He works at the intersection of football, community development, and climate action focusing on how clubs can act as catalysts for Community Wealth Building (CWB) and broader social change. In his talk, he explores how football clubs can serve as anchors for Community Wealth Building (CWB), an approach that redistributes wealth and power to local communities while supporting a just transition—tackling climate change alongside inequality and community resilience. Drawing on Bohemian FC and the SPARK Initiative in Ireland, he argues that CWB is not about quick wins but about building durable foundations through governance, culture, and collective ownership. Using Bohemians as a case study, he highlights efforts to develop cooperative economic activity in areas such as food, renewable energy, and retrofitting. He also reflects on structural barriers in Ireland and outline practical steps to better support community-based enterprises. Seán McCabe is Project Lead of The Bohemian Cooperatives and brings over 20 years of experience in climate justice, policy and community-led development. He leads climate justice and sustainability at Bohemian Football Club and is the author of The People’s Transition, developed through his work with TASC/FEPS. His background includes Mary Robinson – Climate Justice, the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative, the UNFCCC, UNICEF and Renaissance Reinsurance. For more information about the IAS, please visit - https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/ias