The colourful fans of Dulwich Hamlet are planning to take ownership of the Southwark-based football club.
At a meeting at Champion Hill stadium on Thursday night (15 January), supporters heard from a number of experts from fan-owned clubs and Supporters Direct, an organisation set up to help football fans gain influence in the running of their clubs.
Dulwich Hamlet Supporters Trust (DHST) board member, Fiona Scurlock, said “We had great speakers, sharing their experience of fan ownership from the likes of Portsmouth to non-league clubs like Fisher and Enfield Town.”
The club, which has seen a recent boost in attendance figures and media coverage in The Independent and Vice, is currently owned by property developers, the Hadley Property Group.
According to Ms Scurlock, there are many benefits of bringing the club into the hands of supporters including preventing the stadium from being sold off, the death knell for many a club.
“Fan ownership ensures that the club can be democratically and transparently run and protects the crucial assets such as the ground from being used as a vehicle for profit,” Ms Scurlock told the Buzz.
As well as safeguarding a home for the team, fans cite a sense of community as a key motivator for a change of ownership.
Avid Dulwich Hamlet supporter and editor of the Moral Victory fanzine, Louis Daly, said: “It’s important for reasons of security and peace of mind really. To know that the club you love watching will continue to be there as long as you work at it. It also makes it easier to become involved in the club and for the club to become a bigger part of the community.”
“I think being involved makes supporting the club be about more than just turning up once or twice a week. You can feel like you’re having a positive effect on both the club’s progress and the local area generally,” he added.
To find out more, visit the Supporters’ Trust website.
Nisha Damji 