Press About the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust

This paper is published by the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust.

This is a free paper, in spirit and cost.

A huge thank you to everyone whose made this paper possible, including…

Liam Asman, Harry Attridge, Matt Arnold, Michelle Chapman, Al Crane, Paula Griffin, Adam Haxell, Danny Lester, Amy Lightfoot, Ryan Matthews, Phillip Mitchell, Mark McGann, Duncan Palmer, Sarah Ponsford, Gavin Powers, Tim Scott, Brad Weilbacher, Alex Wilson and Gen Williams.

Designed and Edited by Paul Hamilton.

‘We are your Friends’ was originallypublished by Kult magazine https://www.kultfc.com/ https://dhst.org/

Trust Board Member

By Adam Haxell

Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust (DHST) was founded in 2002 as an independent, democratic, and non–profit organisation. Our main focus from that point onwards has been to support the Club, in its location in East Dulwich, and give a voice to our fans and community.

Like any 21–year–old, DHST has seen good times and we have also had the odd challenge or two. From a handful of people when we started, we now have hundreds of members, and our influence and importance on how the Club is run, and who it is run for, has never been greater. As we have grown, so has the Club itself. We are amazed to see how far the impact our values and Club ethos has reached, not just across London but all over the world. Thousands now come regularly, and we meet fans from different countries and walks of life who come to sample the atmosphere and be a part of our community. The football isn’t bad either.

In those 21 years we have been proud to see developments happen at the Club, and to play our own part in them. Perhaps the biggest was the launch of our amazing women’s team, and to see that go from strength to strength, as an integral part of the Club, is enormously rewarding. Everything we as a Trust do now is geared towards the whole Club and the whole fanbase, and this diversity and scope is a key ingredient of the successes we have had.

So, what do we actually do? Well, quite a lot really. From providing governance and scrutiny of the Club and its decisions, to delivering community initiatives and collecting for charities – like our local foodbank or our WrapUp London coat drive. You will almost certainly have seen some of the campaigns we have been a part of, and hopefully you will have been able to speak to a Board member and have your say too. Our principal role will always be to provide a vehicle for fans to have their say – so please do get in touch with us if ever you have a question, comment or request.

Perhaps our most prominent, and creative, role however, is in our running of the club merchandise range – at the iconic Mega Container. The merchandise sold in this shop is designed, procured and sold by us, with profits split between the Trust and Club. This enables the Trust to have a direct relationship with the fan base, but it also generates revenue for the Trust to invest in the Club in order to give the fan base meaningful influence. The same is true of our ‘100 Club,’ a monthly lottery through which we raise further funds to invest in the Club for the benefit of supporters.

Through this model we have been able to invest nearly £100,000 since 2018 into the Club. This investment makes a real and practical difference, and in recent seasons it has gone straight into improving the fan experience, like when we invested in improved seating within the Tommy Jover Stand.

The main use of our funds, however, continues to be in buying shares to secure greater fan ownership of the Club itself. DHST currently owns a 33.49% stake in the Club, which means that the Trust has a more meaningful influence than ever before, and we have two directors nominated by the Trust to represent fans’ interests on the DHFC board.

None of this has been possible without the support and contributions of fans. Ours is a club that relies on volunteers and goodwill, and as we have seen in recent years at this Club, without hard work and people who care about its future there is never a guarantee that it will have one.

As we look to the future we will need that support and collective effort more than ever. We have a new campaign to get behind for both our teams. We have a new stadium to look forward to, which has finally cleared the many hurdles thrown in its way. We also have an ambition for the club to one day be run by the Trust, as a truly fan owned and administered football club. This will be our biggest challenge, but one we are excited to embark upon.

So, keep coming to the games, sign up to join the Trust if you haven’t already, and please do consider getting more involved if you possibly can. We are a friendly bunch, and there is always something to do, and your help would be massively appreciated. This could be just a shift in the shop all the way to running for the Board and sharing your skills and expertise with us formally – we are open and appreciative of anything you can give!

This is your Trust, working for your Club, run by and for our fans. Here’s to the next 21 years.