Making members matter: ‘WUNC’ and ‘one member – one vote’ at Dinamo Zagreb

This paper analyses the democratic transformation of GNK Dinamo Zagreb through long-term supporter mobilization by ultras and ‘ordinary’ supporters who challenged perceived elite capture of the club and Croatian football while defending club identity through bottom-up civic infrastructures. Drawing on insider ethnography, interviews, documents and media, the study traces a shift from ultras-led protests and boycotts towards broader civic mobilization for democratic club governance. While structural conditions and institutional openness shaped opportunities for reform, the analysis foregrounds micro-level processes: protest organization, persistence and identity negotiation during prolonged institutional closure. It also examines tensions between subcultural repertoires and social movement strategies as mobilization broadened. Using Charles Tilly’s WUNC framework (worthiness, unity, numbers and commitment), the paper shows how sustained practices exposed governance failures, maintained pressure and became decisive during institutional opening, contributing to ‘one member – one vote’ reform and the club’s first democratic elections.