Playing catch-up..

It's been a while since we've shared Liam Hickey's column with you, from the official matchday programme.

In fact, for the last two games I hold my hands up and must admit it has slipped my mind and forgotten to share with you what Liam Hickey has had to share, on behalf of the Commercial & Community part of the Boardroom.

So here are his last two informative pieces, the first, below from...
the home match against Leiston, back on Tuesday 15th December:

Good evening to our visitors. I hope they didn’t have too taxing a journey down from Suffolk and through the London rush-hour traffic to Champion Hill tonight.

And that’s the only bit I could possibly have done before Saturday! It is, in fact, Leiston who we welcome after overcoming one of their local county rivals Bury Town in the FA Trophy at the weekend. Their continued success is proof that you don’t have to attract huge crowds to be successful. The key to success is being professional on and off the pitch so that it’s not just gate money you survive on. The success can come down to a well-run commercial and community set-up too.

This is something I feel we do well here at Dulwich, but we certainly don’t rest on our laurels. Although we have yet to reach the New Year, never mind the end of the season, we are already making behind the scenes preparations for well into 2016.
Understandably we are a bit reticent to announce full details yets, as “i’s” have to dotted & “t’s” have to be crossed, but over the next few weeks we will be in a position to announce an awareness raising and fundraising friendly match in February. This will be similar to the one against Stonewall earlier this year and there are big plans being formulated for a post-season weekend here at Champion Hill. The end of season event will encompass the whole Club and will include the players, fans, youngsters, the lot!

But before all of that there is still the holiday season advancing on us. As this is our last home match before Christmas, may I take the opportunity on behalf of our Commercial and Community team to wish an extremely Merry Christmas & Prosperous New Year to all of our sponsors, as well as you, our loyal fans, who have all been so good to the Club. We have continued to go from strength to strength on and off the pitch, together and it goes without saying, if you are from another faith, or no faith at all apart from The Hamlet, we also wish you a great holiday season, however you choose to spend it.

Talking of spending, don’t forget to share some of your hard-earned cash with any of our sponsors over the next couple of weeks. For all your beer needs there’s nowhere else to get your locally sourced beers from than our home shirt sponsors Late Knights Brewery. If you fancy a show then try our away kit sponsors Show & Tell to get your tickets from. Then there’s your special Christmas Dinner needs where you need to look no further than our friends from Flock & Herd, who pay for the warm up t-shirts and tops as well as the home & away dugouts, for all of your meat needs, not just traditional turkey, to make that Christmas Day Dinner perfect. And don’t just think of others this year, smarten yourself up at Barry Road Barbers, who have been loyal advertisers with The Hamlet for several seasons now. There’s plenty more you can do to help the Club but all you have to do when offering your custom to any of these, or indeed another of the local businesses that you see on the pitch boards or in this matchday magazine, is mention you are a Hamlet fan and that’s why you’re supporting them.
Tonight is also your last chance to buy some of the many stocking fillers that are available from the Supporters Trust ‘megashed' but you can still pick up Dulwich Hamlet merchandise at the ground on a number of non matchdays, commencing tomorrow night at the ground. Trust Board members will be staffing a stall in the Club Bar (NB: the bar will not be open for beverages, so you will have more money in your pocket to spend on merchandise!) at the following dates and times: Wednesday 16th December-6.00pm to 9.00pm; Friday 18th December 7.00pm to 9.30pm; Sunday 20th December; 12 noon to 4.00pm; Wednesday 23rd December: 6.00pm to 9.00pm & finally, for those really last minute gifts, Christmas Eve: 2.00pm to 4.00pm.
Season Tickets for the rest of the season are still available at £90 which will give you one game free if you haven't bought before tonight. However, if you buy one at the match tonight then we will refund your entrance fee. Adults £90, Concessions £36, Under 18 £10
Just a reminder that if you introduce a new advertiser or sponsor then the club will give you 10% of the amount we receive. You don't have to do anything other than give us a name and we do the rest. If it's your own business then you still get 10% back.
Finally, despite all we have just told you, please save a few shekels to come back here on Boxing Day, that's Saturday 26th December, when we welcome promotion challengers Kingstonian.
Hope to welcome you all again soon.

The second piece follows on next, from our last home match, versus Kingstonian, which took place on Boxing Day:

Good afternoon everyone. Today we have the pleasure of welcoming one of our oldest Isthmian adversaries in Kingstonian.
It seems a long time ago now that they were at the top of the non-League tree, with visits to Wembley while winning the FA Trophy. Now they are tenants in their ‘own’ ground. It seems they may face a potentially nomadic future ahead of them with the sale of Kingsmeadow in the offing, by their landlords AFC Wimbledon, with Premier League Chelsea rumoured to be the favourites to take over the ground.

Whatever the future holds, as one of their traditional opponents down many decades, we hope they continue with their herculean struggle in any adversity, to be the standard bearers of football in Kingston. As the old saying goes "but for the grace of…"

For our club arguably our biggest fixture for the New Year is off the pitch, as we all eagerly anticipate the planning application to Southwark Council for our new ground. Hopefully, once the holiday period is over, things will start to move forward on this front. The club committee are of the view that, from a Club perspective, there is much to be excited about in this development. We believe that, if done correctly, this gives the club the chance of s even brighter future.

As for the old year that is drawing to a close, it’s amazing to see how far we have moved on as a Club over the last twelve months:

Four-figure crowds are now the norm on a home Saturday afternoon

Challenging for the Ryman League title having not been Isthmian champions since 1949.

The highest level of season-ticket holders in living memory.

Sponsorship & advertising partners continue to come on board

And finally, a new ground on the horizon that will potentially make our great Club sustainable for many years to come.

After so many years, decades really, of uncertainty, if we can overcome the current hurdle of the aforesaid planning permission the future would appear to be well and truly rosy; especially with Gavin Rose in the hotseat, continuing as our longest-serving manager.

But we don't take any of this for granted and know we need to work hard to keep all our fans, sponsors and advertisers happy and coming back for more.

Credit too, to our hard-working Supporters Trust, who provide such a great service to our fans on the merchandise front. A big thank you to their volunteers who went way beyond the call of duty in opening up their ‘Megashed’ for extra non-matchday hours at the ground in the run-up to Christmas. Why not go and see what stock they have left for sale from their vast array of Hamlet bits & bobs if Santa forgot to bring you something Pink & Blue?

There really is a great spirit around Champion Hill nowadays. The positivity that permeates from every pore of the place at the moment never ceases to amaze me. As someone who is fortunate enough to have the time to be involved in the Club (and often not having the time, either!) I see so many things where we all pull together that have put Dulwich Hamlet where we are today, both on and off the pitch. The combination of supporters, the Trust, the Football Committee; Gavin Rose & his team, as well as our owners the Hadley Property Group, is a unique mix that has brought us to where we are at the end of 2015. Lest we forget, without the input of our owners only two years ago, things would likely look very different today. In fact, it is possible we would not be in existence today.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we were close to announcing a new partnership. I am very pleased that we have been able to agree terms with Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward to become our new Academy shirt sponsors until the end of the 2016-17 season. Their logo will feature on all the kit of our Academy teams and, they will also be the sponsors of what has become affectionately known as the "Toilets Opposite" Terrace. A big thank you to Paul Bent and his team at the Dulwich office for their enthusiastic support.

Rarely have I been so tentatively excited about the future and it's all down to the most important people at Champion Hill, YOU the supporters, who keep on flocking through the turnstiles.

So thank you for your loyal backing over the last twelve months, it’s something we would never take for granted. And here’s to a Happy New Year, both on & off the pitch!

Liam Hickey (Football Committee. Commercial & Community Department)
Tel 07967212353
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.