Community News

It's been a while since we've had the time to share our 'Community Column' from the official matchday programme

Here's what we had to say in yesterday's issue at home to Bognor Regis Town:

Good afternoon everyone,

Hopefully there will be a number of new readers of this column, as we continue our community outreach work by staging our first ever Trade Union Day. It’s hardly a secret that we aim to be a Football Club that has a social conscience which reaches out to many strands of our local community. The work and campaigns we do has not gone un-noticed by a number of our supporters who are members of Trade Unions themselves, and this afternoon is a culmination of a collaboration between our Football Club Committee and the Supporters Trust.

There may have been a few mutterings on social media here and there, but that will not deter ourselves from doing what we think is right in working for our local community, continuing to build our excellent support & promoting the ethos that we believe is right for our Football Club.

We hope that anyone who has not visited Champion Hill before, but is a member of any trade union, who has taken the opportunity to avail themselves of our special £4 concessionary rate for any card-carrying Trade Union member for our match with Bognor Regis Town this afternoon will like what they see & return for future home matches, albeit at the still cheaper than some others in our division, ten pound price.

I would like, in particular, to thank Dave Rogers, who is a community lead on the Supporters’ Trust Board, for arranging the match sponsors for the game today, namely both the ASLEF trade union & Hope not Hate, who campaign against discrimination and for a modern inclusive Britain. He is also instrumental in arranging for the bar to stock Brigadista Ale, ordered in by Chris Taylor [our general manager] , which is brewed by Black Hill Brewery, all the way from County Durham, a beer to commemorate the 8oth anniversary of the Spanish Civil War. Which ties in nicely for our charity beneficiaries this afternoon, as chosen by the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust, which is the International Brigade Memorial Trust. From half time onwards, including at the exit gates on the way out of the ground, buckets will be shaken to help the cause of our Trust nominated charity partner for the afternoon, so please drop in any loose change you have.

We shall also, as a Football Club Committee, be donating the proceeds from the ‘50/50 Draw’ tickets that are sold today, and we would like to thank Hamlet supporter Sarah Binns for coming forward for the second time this season to step into the breach, when our regular seller is not available through work commitments. There will be a number of gaps where we need a volunteer to step forward, so we shall soon be publishing a list for the season so that, hopefully we can arrange a rota for fans to help out.

As mentioned, there is a bucket collection this afternoon, and at our next home Saturday game on the 22nd of October against AFC Sudbury, we shall have volunteers from the Dulwich branch of the Royal British Legion here once more, shaking their rattling tins to raise money for the annual Poppy Appeal, which the Club are proud to support every year. This is our last home game before Remembrance Sunday, which this year falls on Sunday 13th November. Two days prior to this is the eleventh of the eleventh, Armistice Day and we would like to invite all Dulwich Hamlet fans to attend a small non-denominational service of remembrance in our Boardroom, when wreaths will be placed on our Club Memorial, to recognise those members of our Club who made the ultimate sacrifice in both World Wars. This will commence at 7.00pm sharp, and we have arranged that the Club Bar will be open afterwards for all of those present to watch the England versus Scotland World Cup qualifier on our big screens in club house, that match kicking off at 7.45pm.

Turning away from Champion Hill our official charity partners Football Beyond Borders are holding their annual showcase evening on Monday 17th October, starting at 7.00pm, at the Amnesty International HQ in Shoreditch. I had the pleasure of attending this last season, as did a number of other Hamlet supporters, including Duncan Hart [DHST chair] & Ben Sibley [Forward the Hamlet team]. Just Google ‘FBB 17th October’ to find out more details, with tickets being reasonably priced at only seven pounds each.

And, looking even further ahead, we are pleased to announce that we shall be holding another bucket collection, following the successful one pre-season against Crystal Palace, to boost FBB coffers, when we take on Saturday 17th December, as little ‘Christmas treat’ for them.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible back for our next home game on Tuesday 18th October against Harlow town, kick off at 7.45pm.

Mishi Morath (Dulwich Hamlet Football Committee, responsible for community initiatives)