Dulwich Hamlet F.C.

History

The club was formed in 1893 by Lorraine 'Pa' Wilson. In 1899 they became founder members of the Dulwich League and were its inaugural champions, retaining the title the following season. They joined both the Isthmian League and the Spartan League in 1907, leaving the latter after the 1907–08 season. Dulwich Hamlet won their first Isthmian League title in 1919–20 on goal average against Nunhead, and also claimed the FA Amateur Cup that season by beating Tufnell Park 1–0 in the final at the Den.

The two clubs met again in the 1936–37 final, with Dulwich winning 2–0. A fourth Isthmian League title was secured in 1948–49. After finishing bottom of Division One in 1976–77, the club was relegated to Division Two, which was renamed Division One the following season; they won that division in 1977–78 and returned to the Premier Division. Relegation again occurred in 1989–90, but promotion back to the Premier Division followed in 1991–92 after a third-place finish in Division One.

In 1998–99 they reached the FA Cup first round for the first time since 1948, losing 1–0 to Southport. Relegation from the Premier Division happened again in 2000–01. After finishing seventh in 2003–04, they lost a play-off on penalties to Wealdstone. In 2010–11 they reached the promotion play-off final but lost to Leatherhead, and the following season they lost the final to Bognor Regis Town.

Dulwich Hamlet returned to the Premier Division by winning the Division One South title on the last day of 2012–13 with a 1–1 draw against Burgess Hill Town.

Ground

The club initially played at Woodwarde Road until 1895, then moved to College Farm. The following year they relocated to Sunray Avenue, where they remained until 1902. From 1902 to 1912 they played at Freeman's Ground on Champion Hill, before moving to an adjacent plot of land until the Champion Hill stadium opened in 1931. That stadium hosted amateur international matches, including games during the 1948 Summer Olympics.

It gained notoriety as a filming location for the first episode of The Sweeney in May 1974, with a scene shot in the south stand. In 1991 the stadium was demolished due to being too run-down and unsafe under new regulations following the Hillsborough disaster. During the 1991–92 season the club groundshared at Tooting & Mitcham United's Sandy Lane, while a new, smaller stadium was built on the same site, opening for the 1992–93 season. Funding came from the sale to Sainsbury's of land that had been the club's training pitch, owned by King's College London.

The new ground remained in King's ownership. In September 2013 Champion Hill became the first football ground in Greater London listed as an Asset of Community Value, but this was withdrawn shortly after due to a legal technicality. In February 2014 the ground was bought for £5.7m by Meadow Residential. In March 2018 the club was forced out, leading to a temporary groundshare with rivals Tooting & Mitcham at Imperial Fields until December 2018, when they returned to Champion Hill.

Players

During the 1920s two Dulwich Hamlet players were capped by the full England team. Bert Coleman earned his cap in 1921 while with the club, and Edgar Kail won three caps in 1929 against France, Belgium and Spain. Kail was the last amateur player to play for England while solely with an amateur club. He remained with Dulwich Hamlet despite professional approaches, scoring over 400 goals for the club and is still celebrated in terrace songs.

Supporters

Dulwich Hamlet F.C. is known for its fanbase’s openly progressive politics, which centre on anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-fascism, and inclusion regardless of gender, sexuality, or ethnicity. Two supporter groups, The Rabble and the ComFast Chapter, weave political messages into their matchday activities. They have backed fan-funded player signings, hosted LGBT-inclusive events such as games against Stonewall FC, and run local charity drives like winter coat collections for Wrap Up London.

Fans display banners and chant slogans like “Communism is inevitable” and “Ordinary morality is for ordinary football clubs.” The club keeps ticket prices low and promotes community involvement, offering an alternative to the commercialised, aggressive atmosphere of higher-level football. In the 2022–23 season, despite being relegated, Dulwich Hamlet drew the National League South’s highest average attendance at 2,464. The supporters behind the goal, known as The Rabble, are famous for their party-like energy and clever, humorous chants.

In 2016, the club’s volunteer-driven community work earned it the Football Foundation Community Club Of The Year award at the National Game Awards.