Last month, I wrote my Young Reporter article on how my local football club, Dulwich Hamlet, brought together the local community to speak out against racism, sexism and fight for LGBT rights, as well as playing some semi professional football.
Now the club, which often attracts around 2,000 fans a week, is under threat. The American Landlords, Meadow, have built locked fences around the perimeter and not allowed the club access after Southwark denied them planning permission. Many people believe Meadow have done this to have leverage over the council, as DHFC is a place that so many cherish. Not only have they stripped the team of its home at Champion Hill, they have claimed rights over the 125-year-old name “Dulwich Hamlet”, “DHFC”, and “the Hamlet”, stripping the club of its identity too.
But the supports will not back down easily. After hearing the news, outraged fans knew they had to do something about it, so took to Twitter to spread the news. Helen Hayes, local MP, raised the issue in a Parliamentary debate and local businesses have showed their support, donning blue and pink banners.
On top of this, a rally was staged on Saturday 17th March, starting at Goose Green and ending at the Champion Hill ground. Despite it being a bitterly cold and frosty day, up to 2,000 people gathered on Goose Green to show their outrage at their ground being taken away.
The protest opened with speeches, including one from the chairman, Liam Hickey. Hickey raised the motion that this event can be taken as ‘an example to every other club that is threatened by people whose motives are nothing to do with community and everything to do with the value of money only’. This was greeted by a large applause and cheer from the audience, as they believe that Meadow is only interested in profit.
Helen Hayes also spoke, describing the importance Dulwich Hamlet has to the community. She stated that ‘we have so few spaces in our society that bring people together from all sorts of different backgrounds who share the same passion and those places are exemplified no better than at local football grounds’, before adding ‘across local football grounds across the country, they are exemplified no better than at Dulwich Hamlet’. This too was greeted by a roar from the 2,000 or so fans, another testament to this togetherness.
After the speeches, raising morale even higher, a sea of pink and blue made its way along Grove Vale and up Dog Kennel Hill to Champion Hill stadium. Along the way, passers by honked their horns in support and local business owners leaned out of there shops to yell support. Chants of ‘we want Meadow out’ were bellowed out and large banners were carried. On arriving at the ground, more chants led by lifelong fan Mishi Morath were shouted, before the crowd dispersed.
Although this was, of course, a great step towards victory (which will come), it does not end here. The fight continues, with people continuing to spread the word and raise support. Lowestoft Town FC, Sheffield FC, and Millwall FC have already shown theirs. Southwark Council, too, has shown their support by offering to buyout Meadow and build council flats on a portion of the land rather than luxury ones.
Another spokesperson at the march stated that ‘of all the fans, in all the clubs, in all the communities, in all the boroughs, in all the cities in the world, [Meadow] picked this one’. This was a fateful choice. Good luck Meadow, the battle against the Pink and Blue army will not be an easy one.
