From the programme this afternoon

Here's the latest news from our Commercial & Community column, published today versus Guiseley

Good afternoon,
it’s hard to know what to write about after being at home last Saturday, so I hope I’m not blethering on too much. A nice bit of ‘northern’ creeping in there, and rightly so, for today’s much anticipated game against Guiseley. I’m sure it will have been said both in print and on social media, but can I add to the welcome that will be offered to everyone who has travelled down from Yorkshire. I know I am among the many who have been looking forward to this Trophy tie, not just to test our mettle against Vanarama National League opposition but also the unexpected pleasure of opponents that we have never encountered before.

With regard to today’s game, such is the buzz around Champion Hill, there really is no way of guessing what the attendance is going to be. Last weekend it was an amazing 2,249 that flocked through the turnstiles. There was some concern about the length of the queues, but we had all four main turnstiles in operation and we tried to get people through as quickly as possible.

For this afternoon, the Football Committee has arranged to have some tickets on pre-match sale and we hope this will alleviate some of the pre-match ‘problems’. However, in all honesty the only way to solve this is to arrive a little earlier. It is just not physically possible to fit everyone through the gates in such a short space of time, so please try to get here with more time to spare.The bar is, of course, open to serve you and today marks a special moment for anyone who loves their beer, thanks to our official home First Team shirt sponsors, Late Knights Brewery. For being launched in the clubhouse today is the first ever batch of their new brew EDGAR KAIL PALE ALE, named after our greatest ever player. We thank them for honouring both the legendary Edgar & Dulwich Hamlet Football Club in this way.

Some of you may recall the Pink & Blue enamel badges that were sold by our Supporters Trust, with the round quarters in the middle. A new batch has arrived and you can pick them up today, along with a superb selection of other Hamlet merchandise, from the Trust Megashed, in the ground . Alternatively, have a look at their website at www.dhst.org.uk for mail order enquiries.

You may recall, earlier in the season, when the Football Club supported a collection led by our Supporters Trust, which was a successful humanitarian effort for the crisis at Calais. This has morphedinto a group of our fans setting up a regular fundraising group called Dulwch2Dunkirk (website: www.dulwich2dunkirk.wordpress.com ) & tonight they are holding a benefit night at the Montague Arms, Queen’s Road, Peckham. A large number of bands are appearing from 4pm all the way through until 1.00am. Admission is only £4, and there are sure to be quite a few Hamlet fans in attendance.

With regard to our Football Club's continued commitment to supporting those in need, we are pleased to announce that we are staging a friendly match on Wednesday 24th February, kick off at 7.45pm, against FC Assyria, of the Middlesex County League Premier Division. ALL PROCEEDS from the night, every single penny raised, will be split equally between the SOUTHWARK REFUGEE PROJECT and the BRITISH RED CROSS SYRIA APPEAL. We are pleased to be working with both our Supporters Trust, & the Council in promoting the match. Trust Chairman, Duncan Hart, provided the initial contact with Southwark Council to stage the game after Cllr. Jasmine Ali approached him, and he passed on the contacts for the Football Club Committee to organise the game; for which we are most grateful. So please spread the word, and put the date in your diary, for an extremely worthy causethat will help people in crisis both at home and in Syria.

We thank all of you today for your understanding, and observance of, 'no alcohol in the ground’, as per Football Association regulations. We would like to remind all of our fans that we still do not allow bottles to be brought into the ground at any games, so please do not bring them into matches, as this could have potential serious repercussions for the Club.

On a ‘good news’ front, regarding drinking, we hope to soon have a pop-up bar inside the stadium selling alcoholic beverages. We hope this will help to alleviate the queues inside the Clubhouse. This will also mean that you will no longer have to bring your own drinks into future matches, which we will be gently discouraging.

We look forward to as many of you as possible cheering Gavin & the lads on their travels this midweek, be that down in Sussex for our scheduled Ryman League clash at Lewes on Wednesday or a somewhat longer journey up to Yorkshire for any replay of today’s game up in Leeds. I can just recall the last time we played up there, for an Amateur Cup tie away to Leeds & Carnegie College, forty two years ago; so it’s about time I went back there for football, although I’ve spent many a trip up that way watching rugby league.

Finally, just a reminder that we want YOU to help us get new sponsors and advertisers. The Commercial Manager position at the club is entirely unpaid but we will pay you 10% of what the club receives when you introduce a new sponsor or advertiser. All we want is their contact details and we will do the rest. Just send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Liam Hickey (Football Committee, Commercial & Community Team)Tel 07967 212353