Probably no other English club below the professional leagues has gathered more media attention than Dulwich Hamlet, located South of the river in London and around in that neighborhood since 1893. Any quick search on the club will turn up grand phrases like “a different vision for football” or “the small club with the big vision.” And that vision - inclusive, humanitarian, egalitarian - draws around 3000 spectators (critics would say 3000 hipsters) who often wouldn’t feel comfortable at other soccer grounds to the Hamlet’s South London home for most games. But despite such record numbers for the lower leagues, the club just got relegated. It also is planning a new stadium, after briefly being thrown out of the old one by developers. And it is both shaped by and wrestling with its identity in a gentrifying neighborhood. Tim Scott, chairman of the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters trust, shares about the vibe around the club, the ups and downs and growing pains of the atmosphere at home games, and the work of a supporter's trust.
HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE
Dulwich Hamlet Supporters Trust (also on twitter)
Dulwich Hamlet FC (also on twitter); Club Shop
2018 piece in the Guardian re. the stadium conflict
Recent piece in the local newspaper re. current stadium plans with statement from DHFC
"First all-trans masc side makes football history" - hosted by DHFC
Football Ground Guide on Champion Hill
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Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind
Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/