It’s been a while but after 21 years of waiting we are finally here! The first round of the FA Cup and a home tie against a League club for the first time in over 80 years. What an occasion tonight is and the chance, with the TV cameras here, to show everyone what Dulwich Hamlet FC is all about.

Our mascots this evening are made up of local young fans including a group from Cobourg Primary School in Southwark. As always, this experience is something we do not charge for. We believe that every young fan should have the opportunity to walk out with their heroes and that clubs should not exploit this as an opportunity to charge parents and carers. These are our fans of the future and the chance to be a mascot should be open to all and free of charge. The teams will be led out by a young man called Harry who is celebrating his 8th birthday this weekend. He is here tonight with his grandparents. Happy Birthday Harry and we hope you and your family enjoy the game!

It has been well documented, in the last few years, about our struggles off the pitch and our move out of East Dulwich. Tonight should not be about that although I’m sure that’s the story many outlets will share. That is all in the past. We’re home now and have been for nearly a year. In that time, the club has gone from strength to strength and continued to grow including the launch of our very own Dulwich Hamlet Women’s team. Tonight is a celebration of everything we have achieved and a chance to really show why we are proud of our community club. It should be noted, however, that we would not be here tonight had it not been for the monumental efforts of the club’s management, huge army of volunteers and fans who kept us alive during those dark days. For everyone who has put their heart and soul into this club over the last few years – thank you!

Dulwich Hamlet is a club that is proud to place itself as the heart of the local community. At the same time, we strive to ensure our local community is at the centre of everything we do. We are a diverse and multicultural club that welcomes everyone. We pride ourselves on attracting fans of all backgrounds, young and old, to Champion Hill every other Saturday. It’s well known the crowds at Champion Hill have increased dramatically over the last ten years. Why? The answer is simple – the club engaged with its community and the community has responded by filing through the turnstiles on a regular basis supporting the Pink and Blues.

As well as supporting Gavin and the team, our community has raised thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes. This has included Southwark Pensioners, Prostate Cancer UK, Peckham Loves Refugees and more recently East Dulwich Says No To Youth Violence. Last weekend we presented a cheque, on the pitch at half time, to the representatives of this campaign for £340. This money was raised through our ‘DHFC Says No To Youth Violence’ campaign a few weeks ago. Thank you to everyone who has supported and generously donated. Looking forward, we will be continuing our work with our two charity partners, Redthread and Football Beyond Borders. We have a number of fundraising initiatives and match day activities planned in the near future.

As well as this, we have linked up with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation as part of the South London 4 South London (#SL4SL) campaign. Behind the campaign are childhood friends, Rio Ferdinand and Dulwich Hamlet manager Gavin Rose. Their campaign, which includes a series of high profile events with current and ex-professional football players as well as celebrities, focuses on changing the negative narrative of young people from South London and finishes with Gavin’s Testimonial Legends XI match on Sunday 26th April 2020. More details of these upcoming events will follow in the next few weeks and months.

Finally, the deadline for our Christmas card competition is approaching. Please make sure we receive all entries by 5pm on Tuesday 12th November 2019. Full details about the competition can be found on the club website.

Be loud, be proud and enjoy the game!

Best wishes,

Rob Hyneman
DHFC Community Lead
@DHFC_Community