Before tonight's programme column

Some things just slip the memory, and I forgot to post the last 'community & commercial' piece from our previous home League match against VCD

So here it is, apologies for the delay, I hope you don't mind playing 'catch up', and if you want to read the new one first then don't forget to buy your official Dulwich Hamlet matchday programme tonight, great value at only two pounds, when we host Metropolitan Police tonight.

So here we are, my piece from Saturday 3rd October:

Good afternoon, not only do we host VCD Athletic this afternoon, but it’s also our ‘Pay What You Like’ Day…last season we staged one of these for the first time ever, on ‘Non League Day’, but this season NLD falls next Saturday, when we are away to Farnborough. So, with the full blessing of our Club owners Hadley Property Group, we have decided to have our own ‘Pre Non League Day’ event, by throwing all of the turnstiles open and just asking you to contribute what you want! Last season we were amazed and humbled by the response, and we achieved a then record stadium crowd of 2,856; as well as raising over six thousand pounds for the two charities chosen by the Mayor of Southwark for his annual appeal.

Whether we achieve those sort of figures today is immaterial, to be honest. If we do it will be a ‘bonus’. It’s not about setting targets, it’s about (using something that has become a bit of a ‘catchphrase’ for me) simply “doing what’s right”…and things like today are part of that ethos that I believe flows through the whole Club, whether it be Committee Members, the Supporters Trust, our owners or the management team; not to mention the majority of our fans who just come along to enjoy the football & the atmosphere, without wishing to get involved more.

Some of you many have seen a letter in the ‘Southwark News’ just over a week ago, decrying the wonderful efforts of our fans & Club in rushing to back our Supporters Trust appeal to support humanitarian efforts to ease the plight a little for the refugees stuck in horrific conditions in the Calais area. I’m not going to respond to that here, I did write to the newspaper In response, but as I type this column I do not know if it will have made their next edition. Instead let me leave with you the heartwarming comments from within the programme notes on Tuesday night, when we won at Metropolitan Police in our last Ryman League match, as written by their manager Jim Cooper:

“Before I talk about us, I just want to mention the fans of DHFC again. They recently held an appeal for their supporters to bring clothing/goods to Champion Hill for the current crisis in Europe with regards to the forced migration from war-torn Syria. Such was the response to this appeal that the car park was overloaded with such items that has ultimately provided much needed support for many in Europe. It is just a personal message from myself to applaud those responsible for such an appeal as football supporters do not tend to be recognised as being compassionate or charitable so credit where credit is due to those involved.”

Comments like that, from where I am standing, are praise enough & justification (not that we need any) for all of the stuff we do here at Champion Hill. As for that letter in the local press, well I wouldn’t even treat it with contempt…as contempt is not worth wasting on such an individual who wrote. In truth I pity them…but good luck to them if it makes them happy…

It is interesting though, how much what we do as ‘normal’ at our Club is getting noticed as ‘exceptional’ elsewhere. But it can have its downside. In the last few months I’ve had several emails from a consultant, who shall remain nameless, working on some kind of project aimed at the Football Association, who wanted to ask how we achieve what we achieve. This riled me a tad, for first of all what we all do is our own ideas, not ones to be ‘copied’ in some sort of ‘report’ by a consultant…I bet they’re not doing it for peanuts, so if you want to ‘arf inch our ideas then perhaps a consultancy fee to The Hamlet might be in order! But on a positive note, we are more than happy to chat to fellow clubs, both in the Ryman League and beyond, to discuss ideas & offer support.

And that is why, I was off to Hitchin Town Football Club, old friends from the pre-reorganisation Isthmian days, who have almost lost their historic Top Field ground, and having currently secured a 25-year initial lease are trying to build for the future. For clubs like that I’m more than happy to go to in my ‘Dulwich Hamlet hat’ and swap ideas & will hopefully pick up one or two new ones from what they have to say. Which brings me on to the subject of ‘ideas’…if you have any ways that you think we can promote The Hamlet in our community then just drop me an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I’m always ready to listen to them, adopt them or adapt them. And if it’s your first visit to Champion Hill…we are more than happy to offer some free tickets to a future home game for your school, work group, trade union, church, local community group, Sunday football team…or anyone else. Just get in touch and we will give you a flavour of Champion Hill & Dulwich Hamlet!

If you want to read more…then don’t forget we’re at home this coming Tuesday night to Staines Town in the Robert Dyas Cup, which is the League Cup competition. See you then!

Mishi D. Morath (Dulwich Hamlet Football Committee. Community liaison)