Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
Dulwich Hamlet Football Club is a football club in East Dulwich, south London, England. They are currently members of the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, and play at Champion Hill.
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| Full name | Dulwich Hamlet Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Hamlet | ||
| Founded | 1893 | ||
| Ground | Champion Hill, London | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 (500 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Ben Clasper | ||
| Manager | Gavin Rose | ||
| League | National League South | ||
| 2019–20 | National League South, 19th of 22 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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History
The club was formed in 1893, by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. They were founder members of the Dulwich League in 1899, and were its inaugural champions.[2] The club went on to retain the title the following season.[2] In 1907 they joined both the Isthmian League and the Spartan League, leaving the latter at the end of the 1907–08 season.[3] In 1919–20 the club won its first Isthmian League title, winning the league on goal average against Nunhead. They also won the FA Amateur Cup, beating Tufnell Park 1–0 in the final at the Den.
The club won the league again in 1925–26, and the FA Amateur Cup for a second time in 1931–32 win a 7–1 win against Marine in the final.[3] The following season the club won their third league title. In 1933–34 they won their third FA Amateur Cup, beating Leyton 2–1 in the final. The two clubs met in the final again in 1936–37, with Dulwich winning 2–0.
In 1948–49 the club won the Isthmian League for a fourth time. The 1976–77 season saw the club finish bottom of Division One, resulting in relegation to Division Two, which was renamed Division One the following season, with Division One becoming the Premier Division. The club went on to win the Division One title in 1977–78 and were promoted back to the Premier Division. They finished bottom of the Premier Division in 1989–90, and were relegated to Division One. The club were promoted back to the Premier Division at the end of the 1991–92 season after finishing third in Division One. In 1998–99 they reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1948, losing 1–0 to Southport.
After finishing bottom of the Premier Division in 2000–01, the club were relegated back to Division One. After finishing seventh in 2003–04, the club played off against Wealdstone for a place in the Premier Division after league restructuring but lost 5–4 on penalties after a 2–2 draw. In 2010–11 Dulwich finished fifth and entered the promotion play-offs, beating Bognor Regis Town 3–1 in the semi-finals before losing 4–3 to Leatherhead in the final.[4] The following season the club finished third, again qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Folkestone Invicta 2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost the final 1–0 to Bognor Regis.[3] They returned to the Premier Division after winning the Division One South title on the last day of the 2012–13 season with a 1–1 draw against Burgess Hill Town.
In 2014–15 Dulwich finished fourth in the Premier Division, qualifying for the play-offs. However, they lost 2–1 at Margate in the semi-finals.[5] The following season the club finished fifth, and reached the play-off final after winning 1–0 at Bognor Regis Town in the semi-final,[6] before going on to lose 3–1 at East Thurrock United.[7] In 2016–17 Dulwich finished third in the Premier Division, qualifying for the play-offs for the third season in a row. After beating Enfield Town 4–2 in the semi-finals, they lost 2–1 at Bognor Regis Town in the final.[8] The following season saw the club finish as runners-up in the Premier Division. In the subsequent play-offs, they beat Leiston 1–0 in the semi-final,[9] before defeating Hendon 4–3 on penalties following a 1–1 draw in the final to earn promotion to the National League South.[10]
The 2019–20 season saw Dulwich reach the first round of the FA Cup, with the club losing 4–1 at home to Carlisle United.
Ground
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The club played at Woodwarde Road until 1895, when they moved to College Farm. The following year they moved to Sunray Avenue, where they remained until 1902. Between 1902 and 1912 they played at Freeman's Ground on Champion Hill,[1] before moving to an adjacent plot of land, where they played until the opening of the Champion Hill stadium in 1931. The stadium was used for amateur international matches, including the 1948 Summer Olympics.
In 1991 the stadium was demolished, as it was too run-down and dangerous to bring up to modern safety standards, as a result of new regulations brought in as a result of the Hillsborough disaster. During the 1991–92 season the club played at Tooting & Mitcham United's Sandy Lane ground, whilst a new, smaller stadium was built on the same site, opening for the start of the 1992–93 season. The new stadium was funded by the sale to Sainsbury's of land that had once been the club's training pitch, situated immediately behind the large covered terrace on the north side of the 'old' Champion Hill, by the landlords King's College London. The new ground remained in King's ownership, with the club having given up the lease on the old ground in return for the new ground being built.
In September 2013 it became the first football ground in Greater London to be listed as an Asset of community value,[11] but this was withdrawn by Southwark Council not long after, due to a legal technicality.[12] In February 2014, Champion Hill was bought for £5.7m by Meadow Residential.[13] In March 2018 the company forced the club out of the ground, resulting in a temporary groundshare with rivals Tooting & Mitcham, at their Imperial Fields stadium,[14] which lasted until Dulwich returned to Champion Hill in December 2018.
Players
Current squad
As of 16 January 2021[15][16][17]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
During the 1920s the club had two players capped by the full England team. Bert Coleman was capped whilst playing for Dulwich in 1921, whilst Edgar Kail won three caps against France, Belgium and Spain in 1929. Kail was the last amateur player to play for England whilst solely with an amateur club, and shunned many approaches from professional clubs to stay with Dulwich Hamlet, his local side, for whom he scored over 400 goals, and is still the subject of terrace songs by fans of the club.[18]
Backroom staff
As of August 2020
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| First Team Manager | Gavin Rose |
| Assistant Manager | Junior Kadi |
| First Team Coaches | Tamba Ngongou, Junior James |
| Sports Therapist | Bukola Woodburne-Dyer |
| Academy Management | Gavin Rose, Junior Kadi |
Managerial history
From 1966 onwards:
| Years | Manager |
|---|---|
| 1966–1967 | Frank Reed |
| 1967–1971 | Peter Gleeson |
| 1971–1972 | Fred Setter |
| 1972–1976 | Jimmy Rose |
| 1976–1977 | George Rocknean |
| 1977 | Jimmy Langley |
| 1977–1981 | Alan Smith |
| 1981–1984 | Eddie Presland |
| 1984–1986 | Billy Smith |
| 1986 | Allen Batsford |
| 1986–1987 | Micky Leach |
| 1987 | Ray Thorn |
| 1987 | Billy Edwards |
| 1987–1989 | Eddie Presland |
| 1989–1990 | John Langford |
| 1990–1991 | Joe Fascione |
| 1991–1994 | Jim Cannon |
| 1994–1997 | Frank Murphy |
| 1997 | John Ryan & Mick Browne |
| 1997–2000 | Dave Garland |
| 2000–2001 | Les Cleevely |
| 2001 | Gwynne Berry |
| 2001–2006 | Martin Eede |
| 2006–2007 | Wayne Burnett |
| 2007–2009 | Craig Edwards |
| 2009– | Gavin Rose |
Supporters
Dulwich Hamlet had the highest attendance in the Isthmian League in 2015–16, with an average attendance was 1,343, more than double the next highest at Hampton & Richmond Borough.[19] The club has gained a reputation for the activist element of their support, with the fans behind the goal going by the nickname of "The Rabble".[20] In recent seasons, the Football Club Committee, Supporters Trust and fans have backed anti-discrimination and anti-homophobia initiatives, amongst many other initiatives within the community.[21]
The efforts made by the club and all of its volunteers to ensure that the club connects with all parts of its local community were recognised in 2016, when they were awarded the Football Foundation Community Club Of The Year at the National Game Awards in London.[22]
Friendship with Altona 1893 and other European links
Hamlet fans have developed a friendship with supporters of German club Altona 1893, as the two clubs were founded in the same year, which began as a friendship started by the Dulwich Hamlet supporters' team. In recognition of the relationship, the club adopted the Altona 1893 home strip as their away strip for the 2014–15 season.[23] On 12 July 2015, Altona 1893 and a large group of fans made the journey to South London to play a friendly between the two sides.[24] Altona 1893 won 5–3 on the day. In July 2015, Altona 1893 unveiled their new away strip in pink and blue colours, featuring a friendship logo on the sleeve.[25] Dulwich Hamlet returned to Hamburg in July 2018 for a match against Altona 93 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the founding of both clubs.[26]
Honours
- FA Amateur Cup
- Winners 1919–20, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1936–37
- Isthmian League
- Dulwich League
- Champions 1899–1900, 1900–01
- London Senior Cup[27]
- Winners 1924–25, 1938–39, 1949–50, 1983–84, 2003–04
- Surrey Senior Cup[28]
- Winners 1904–05, 1905–06, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1919–20, 1922–23, 1924–25, 1927–28, 1933–34, 1936–37, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1973–74, 1974–75 (Record 16 times)
- London Challenge Cup
- Winners 1998–99
- London Junior Cup[27]
- Winners 1899–00
Records
- Most appearances: Reg Merritt, 576 (1950–1966)[1]
- Most consecutive first team appearances: Chris Lewington, 290 (1977–1982)
- Most goals: Edgar Kail, 427 (1919–1933)[1]
- Most goals in a season: Edgar Kail, 53 (1925–26)[29]
- Biggest league win: 10–1 vs West Norwood, 1920–21, 9–0 vs Worthing, 1990–91
- Biggest cup win: 13–0 vs Walton-on-Thames, Surrey Senior Cup, 1936–37
- Heaviest league defeat: 0–9 vs Walthamstow Avenue, Isthmian League, 1945–46; 1–10 vs Hendon, Isthmian League, 1963–64
- Heaviest cup defeat: 0–9 vs Hornchurch, FA Cup third qualifying round, 2004–05
- Record attendance (old Champion Hill): 20,744, Kingstonian v Stockton, FA Amateur Cup Final (1932–33)[30]
- Record attendance (new Champion Hill): 3,336 vs Carlisle United, FA Cup first round, 8 November 2019[31]
See also
- Dulwich Hamlet F.C. players
References
- Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p604 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
- Official Handbook Dulwich Football League, p3
- Dulwich Hamlet at the Football Club History Database
- 2010–11 Isthmian League FCHD
- "Kent 2020 hailed as a huge success". Kent Online.
- "Bognor Regis Town 0-1 Dulwich Hamlet". Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
- "East Thurrock Utd 3-1 Dulwich Hamlet". Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
- "Bognor Regis Town 2-1 Dulwich Hamlet". Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
- "Dulwich Hamlet 1 Leiston 0 – Ashley Carew strikes winner to secure play-off final". London News Online.
- "DULWICH HAMLET PROMOTED AFTER 111 YEARS". Southwark News.
- There may be trouble ahead: Dulwich Hamlet FC face an uncertain future Brixton Buzz, 7 February 2014
- Asset of Community Value Listing Dulwich Hamlet Supporters' Trust
- Revealed: Rio Ferdinand made a multi-million pound offer to save troubled non-league club Dulwich Hamlet The Independent, 23 February 2018
- Dulwich offered groundshare by rivals Tooting & Mitcham BBC Sport, 10 March 2018
- The team Dulwich Hamlet
- Dulwich Hamlet squad Soccerbase
- Dulwich Hamlet squad ESPN
- Football's local hero BBC Sport, 17 February 2003
- Attendance Tables Isthmian League
- Ian Burrell (24 October 2014). "Football revolution as disillusioned fans head for the non-league". The Independent. London.
- "Dulwich Hamlet hope anti-homophobia in football campaign is blueprint to others at top of game". The Guardian. London. 17 February 2015.
- "We're Number One In The Community". Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
- "2014–2015 Home & Away Shirts". pitchero.com.
- "Altona fans make OUR local papers!". pitchero.com.
- "They say imitation is..." pitchero.com.
- "Summer 2018 trip to..." pitchero.com.
- "Memorandum Of Procedures For Dealing With Misconduct Occurring". Docstoc.com. 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- "Saturday Senior Cup Previous Winners". SurreyFA. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- History Dulwich Hamlet F.C.
- David Bauckham
- Dulwich Hamlet 1–4 Carlisle United BBC Sport, 8 November 2019