Southwark Council Cabinet decision kicks off our new stadium build plans
I am excited to report on the completion of a key step forward in our journey to commencing work on the new stadium.
Yesterday we attended the Southwark Council cabinet meeting in which the decision was taken to appropriate the section of land on Greendale for planning purposes that will become our new stadium.
We would like to thank the planning office, the members, the cabinet and the leader of Southwark Council for their careful stewardship through this phase. We have always advised our fans that it is important for due process to be allowed to take its course and this was no exception. The report and recommendations submitted by the planning office for members to vote on was carefully authored over the last few months and written representations were invited from the community and taken into consideration prior to their recommendation being presented to the cabinet.
I was honoured to be allowed to make a deputation in person at the cabinet meeting on behalf of the club and I would like to thank the cabinet for hearing our representation on the importance of this decision to the club and our community.
So, what does this really mean for us as a club and for fans? Our approved development scheme included land owned by the council and land owned by the stadium owners and this is the first administrative step towards development starting on both sections of land. It’s a huge leap forward for the club as it means we can now kick off our plans for building the new terraces and pitch on the derelict astro turf in parallel with the plans already underway on the stadium owner’s site with the first phase being the relocation of the mobile phone mast.
I look forward to coming back with an updated timetable for you and you can also read the council’s statement on this decision via the link below:
https://www.southwark.gov.uk/news/2025/kick-new-football-pitch-and-stadium-plan-dulwich-hamlet-fc
On behalf of the club
Ben Clasper, Chairman
How to apply to attend our youth team trials
Following our announcement that we will be restarting youth football at Dulwich Hamlet Football Club we are pleased to open applications to participate in our summer trials.
Applications are invited from boys who will be in years 12 or 13 from September 2025 and who have experience playing in the Kent Youth League or the Tandridge League or have experience at county, district or academy level.
Please note that the application form should be completed by a parent, guardian or responsible adult with your personal details as well as the player’s information.
Dulwich Hamlet FC Youth Trial Form
Whilst we plan to expand our youth team offering in future we are starting small with only one side and with some pre-existing players and so we may not be able to accommodate all applications this time round and if players are not successful in being invited to trial it is not a reflection of ability it will be down to limited availability and having to focus on what we are looking for to complete the first squad. We aim to be able to offer other opportunities in future in this and other age groups and to start our youth provision for girls’ football.
On behalf of the club
Ben Clasper, Chairman
Volunteer for the Hamlet!
For many years the club has had a small team of dedicated fans who have worked tirelessly to ensure the club's success in East Dulwich.
We are looking for more fans to join us for the 2025-2026 season who would like to contribute to making the club an even bigger asset to the local community.
Volunteering for DHFC is a perfect way to combine your favourite sport with community work. It can give you the opportunity to develop skills within various areas of the football club. It is also a great chance to be part of a fun, open-minded and caring community of people who love football and supporting the local community. We have plenty of opportunities for you to get involved with the beautiful game.
Volunteering with us provides an opportunity to gain the tools and foundations for further career progression. Some of our previous volunteers have gone on to work for the FA, Peloton, Manchester City and many more.
Why volunteer for Dulwich Hamlet?
- Support your local football club.
- Build the skills on your CV and make new professional connections.
- Make new friends and be part of a diverse community.
- There are a variety of different roles available for you to choose from.
What are the current roles available?
Matchdays
We have a number of roles available on match days, you can work as many or as few matches as you wish to fit in around your schedule.
- Stewarding
- 50/50 Sellers
- Programme Sellers
- Ball person
For more information on volunteering with us on match days, please contact the community team at
Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust (DHST) shop
There are also roles with the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters Trust! Either as part of the elected Trust Board or behind the scenes in other ways, they are always looking for volunteers with a range of skills to support on fan led initiatives to support the club.
They also always need help in the Mega Container, where alongside a member of the Trust Board, you will provide support with shop sales including handling a till, helping with customer queries and working in the stock room. The shop opens before the game, at half time and then again at the end!
To find out more contact Chloe at
Community
Dulwich Hamlet has been a constant supporter of our local community, whether here in the local area or across south London. Workshops with our partners Show Racism the Red Card for example provide opportunities for local school children to learn outside of a normal classroom environment. To further improve our community offering on a matchday and during the week.
- Mascot Liaison
- School Liaison
For more information on volunteering with us on match days, please contact the community team at
Media
Join our ever-growing media team and gain experience first-hand in football media. Current volunteers are undertaking degrees at university whilst previous volunteers now work at some of the biggest organisations in English football as well as major news outlets including the BBC.
Whether you’re a photographer looking to expand your portfolio or want to take your first steps in the industry volunteering as part of the Dulwich Hamlet media team is the perfect place to begin or further develop your skills.
- Match day commentary
- Photographers
- Camera Operators
- Match day social media
- Graphic Designer
- Video Editor
For more information on volunteering within the media team, please contact Media and Communications coordinator Kian at
Ground maintenance
We are keen to hear from fans who can offer their trade skills and be added to our pool of tradespeople who can help us throughout the year.
For more information on volunteering with us, please contact the community team at
If you feel like you have a skillset that can assist us here at Champion Hill, then please email
Our committed group of hardworking volunteers are the heartbeat of our football club, and we can’t wait to welcome more into the Dulwich Hamlet family.
Aimee-Lou Caldecourt on National Volunteer Week 2025
“Volunteers are crucial at this level”, states media volunteer Aimee-Lou Caldecourt when asked to reflect on both her role and the involvement of other club volunteers this National Volunteer Week.
“As part of the media team we all work extremely well together to provide the fans with high-quality content every matchday. This isn’t just the media volunteers, but everyone at the club that I’ve spoken to have Dulwich running through their blood, they’re the absolute backbone of the club, and in non-league in general.”
Starting at the beginning of the season, Caldecourt has undertaken a number of match-day media roles since joining, contributing to the team of media volunteers who connect the fans to football every week.
One of the main streams for this is the commentary broadcast, with a team going live for both the men’s and women’s fixtures each week to bring those at home closer to the action.
“It's funny actually because if you had told Aimee-Lou from a year ago that she’d be anywhere near a microphone and commentating on football, I genuinely would have laughed. But it has actually been one of the most enjoyable parts of the season for me.”
Her dive into commentary also created one of her fondest memories of the season and one she will continue to look back on with pride.
“The women’s cup final game against Arsenal was a particularly proud moment. I was leading the commentary for the game and, although the result wasn’t what we wanted, the atmosphere was electric, with so many of the Pepper Army out on that Tuesday night in Uxbridge. It might be my favourite game of the season!”
Commentary, however, was far from the only measure in which Caldecourt’s voluntary experience has pushed her out of her comfort zone, with the entire experience being a platform for her to grow as a journalist while completing her second year at university.
“I’ve developed a lot of different skills this season. One personally for me is interviewing people. I struggled a lot with confidence and had really bad imposter syndrome, but since I had the chance to interview Ryan Dempsey and Lucy Monkman for a university assignment, I have become much more confident in the craft.”
When asked about her passion for sports media, Caldecourt acknowledged that it has not been an area that she was always interested in, but that her volunteer role at the club this season has certainly facilitated her enthusiasm.
“It wasn’t until I started applying for universities that I started looking into working in the football industry. Originally, I was looking at teaching courses! So I’m relatively new to all of this, but I have loved every second of it. My journey really started with supporting the growth of the women’s game and has grown to actively gaining experience, which Dulwich have supported this season.
Obviously, the club has a huge reputation in non-league and as soon as the opportunity presented itself to me, I thought it would be silly to let it pass. The club aligns with my personal values and I knew instantly it would be a perfect fit for me.”
Having now completed the campaign, Caldecourt has taken time to reflect on such an opportunity, and how the voluntary experience at the club has better prepared her for her future career.
“This season was my first full season in football and has taught me that football is unbelievably unpredictable. I love the unpredictable nature though, no two match days will ever look the same which really excites me.
“I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. I went in quite naive to begin with, but since seeing out this season I’ve learnt that anything can happen in this field of work, and just by getting myself out there in the community and volunteering at the club I’ve had so many other opportunities come my way which I never expected to happen.”
Looking ahead to another season at the club, Caldecourt said: “I really just can’t wait to get stuck in again, hopefully get to more away games, travel to new places. I also definitely want to talk to the fans a bit more next season about how much the club means to them, and just be more involved!”
Finally, Caldecourt commented on what she would miss the most if her time at the club was coming to an end.
“I’d miss absolutely everything! I’d miss working with so many amazing people every week because they are really what makes the whole experience so enjoyable and memorable for me. I absolutely love creating content for fans as well, and listening to all the positive feedback I get from them all genuinely makes my week.”
Interested in volunteering at Dulwich Hamlet FC? Email our community team with what you'd like to get involved in. Whether it's media work or helping us with ground maintenance we're always looking to add to the team. Email:
Dulwich Hamlet launch new Youth team
The club is delighted to announce its first independent venture into youth football for many years with the creation of an U18 side which we hope will recreate the pathway for home grown players into the men’s team that was such an important part of the club and which, if successful, will allow us to expand into younger years and introduce a youth system for the women’s game.
The club has been successful in its application to join the Kent Youth League where we have been allocated a place in the North Division, and we will also see the return of FA Youth Cup football.
The new team will be managed by Justin Stevens and assisted by Michael Ebo and they will bring an existing group of current under 16 players who are ready to move up the age groups, whilst also holding open trials to uncover new talent and re-connect the opportunity to play in pink and blue with the local area.
Justin had the following to say about joining the club:
"After many years in youth football, Michael Ebo and I are both excited to be given the opportunity to be part of Dulwich Hamlet FC. During our time in junior football, we have been fortunate to work with many incredibly talented players, some of whom have earned scholarships and pro contracts.
Our motivation for moving to be an early part of the club's reset is to give the players we already manage, and those we will recruit, an improved pathway to senior football with a club that is committed to providing opportunities for young players.
We look forward in continuing our football journey at Dulwich Hamlet, nurturing young, aspiring players and building towards the future of the club."
Over the past few years we have evaluated dozens of offers to transplant teams, license our name, become a feeder team or start a youth system from scratch and we have stuck to the principles we believe are crucial to delivering for the players as well as the club and Justin and Michael were the first people we went through the process with that understood what Dulwich Hamlet means and needs whilst staying true to what has already succeeded for them.
Dates and locations for trials are in the works for later this month and we look forward to announcing them and explaining how to apply to participate.
On behalf of the club
Ben Clasper, Chairman
Address
Champion Hill Stadium,
Edgar Kail Way,
East Dulwich,
London.
SE22 8BD.
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