Plenty of opportunities for Hamlet fans to catch up with our friends from Altona 93 this weekend!

Saturday will see the Hamlet and Altona 93 lock horns again on the pitch for the fourth time in our history as we seek to retain the Jäger-Kail Cup that we secured in Hamburg five years ago.

Who are Altona 93?

For newer fans unaware of the link between the clubs, the Hamlet first took on Altona 93, also founded in 1893, on a tour of Germany in 1925. It was a meeting which saw our favourite son, Edgar Kail, come up against Altona's greatest-ever player in Adolf Jäger. It would be Kail who would come out on top as he scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory, but it seemed that game would be lost to history.

Fast forward to 2010 and a chance meeting between Hamlet super-fan Mishi Morath and Altona supporter Jan Stöver at the Adolf-Jäger-Kampfbahn in Hamburg led to the two exchanging contact details and eventual learning of the previous meeting of the sides, and a bond was formed. Supporters' Team matches between the clubs would take place on either side of the North Sea, before Altona 93 visited London in the summer of 2015 to play us here at Champion Hill, 90 years after the first meeting.

It would be our German friends who would win the game 5-3, but three years later and fresh from promotion to the National League South, we made the journey to Hamburg to celebrate the 125th birthday of both clubs, and returned to London victorious having beaten Altona 4-1 once again.

This weekend sees us host again, and celebrate our 130th birthdays together, and who knows, there could even be a trip out to Germany again in 2025 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of our tour. Watch this space!

Altona 93 Itinerary

If you want to meet up with our German pals over the course of the weekend, have a look through this itinerary!

Thursday 6th July

Fans of football literature can head to The Shirker's Rest pub in New Cross for a Words, Words, Words evening, with plenty of football chat.

From 8pm, bookworms can enjoy exerts from Football is Poetry, The Roaring Red Front and Edgar & Adolf from respective authors Mark Coverdale, Vincent Raison and Michael Wagg, with further talks from football writer Gen Williams, Hamlet Historian Jack McInroy, and All To Nah fanzine producer Jan Stöver.

Friday 7th July

Similarly to our trip to the beach along the River Elbe in 2018, from 1:30pm, there is a visit to the Thames Beach for some drinks in (hopefully) the afternoon sunshine! Access to the beach is opposite Paradiso Burger & Cocktail Bar on the Southbank.

Then from 5pm, it's back to Forest Hill to The Capitol pub for a meet before heading to Peckham Town as they take on Stonewall FC at 7pm, which will help to raise LGBTQ+ awareness, something which is close to the hearts of both the Hamlet and Altona. There will be plenty of post-match entertainment in the clubhouse following the match.

Saturday 8th July

In the morning will be traditional game between the two Supporters' Team, taking place at our training ground, before attention turns to the marquee event as we take to the pitch for the first time this pre-season.

Kick off is at 3pm - head to http://bit.ly/436yowT to grab your tickets now!

There will be plenty of entertainment before and after the match too, with live music in the bar throughout the afternoon, including a performance from The Maze. There will be a raffle and souvenirs on sale after the game to help begin our fundraising to return to Altona in two years time.

List of performances are here:

• 13:30 - 14:45 Scolly, DJ Robusta and Chris
• 17:30 – 18:30 DJ Robusta
• 18:30 – 19:30 DJ St. George
• 19:30 – 20:30 DJ Rockstar
• 20:30 - 21:30 The Maze
• 21:30 - 22:30 Scolly
• 22:30 - 23:30 All

Sunday 9th July

There may well be a few sore heads on Sunday morning, so why not head down to Peckham Bowls in Peckham Rye Park at 12pm to enjoy some games of lawn bowls on the lanes there.

For those who still have a bit of energy, there is also a casual game of cricket planned in the park from 2 o'clock to round off the weekend.