Dulwich Hamlet: The hipster non-league club to become nomads after being evicted in row with landlords
The trendy Isthmian League club are in danger of losing their Champion Hill stadium and are in talks for suitable alternatives
DULWICH Hamlet are known as Hipster FC after young bearded trendies turned them almost overnight into one of the most popular clubs in non-league football.
But a row with their landlords has meant the South London side are now effectively homeless.
The Hamlet are a club like no other.
Supporters wearing the club’s distinctive pink and blue colours watch the game, while drinking craft beer brewed round the corner in fashionable Herne Hill.
Rather than burgers, they munch on bratwurst, doused in sauerkraut from a pop-up stall.
The supporters come in their droves, often filling the 3,000 capacity at Champion Hill.
The club are so forward-thinking they organised a friendly against Stonewall FC, an LGBT rights charity and donated the proceeds.
‘The Rabble’, the affectionate nickname given to their fans, have also been known to organise community activism, including supporting local food banks.
There’s a podcast dedicated to the team called Forward the Hamlet.
And on YouTube, if you Google Dulwich Hamlet highlights, you’re likely to find videos of their games spliced with classic movie clips.
However, the team itself are in a precarious situation and they need their fans more than ever.
Their landlords, Meadow Residential have slapped them with a huge bill of £121k for unpaid rent.
It’s left their hipster fans in a state of panic that they won’t be enjoying those fine craft beers and bratwursts for much longer.
Manager Gavin Rose has admitted the club have approached other non-league teams and proposed a ground share.
Rose, 40, also confessed that it looks unlikely they will return to their home of 106-years this season.
“As things stand, no (we won’t),” he revealed to the .
“But we know that other things have changed a lot – dramatically – in the last week or two.
NO LET OFFS Dulwich Hamlet facing closure after being handed £121,000 rent bill to pay in 21 days
“You never know what is going to happen next. There is a lot riding on it for the owners of the club.
“They may change tact, for whatever reason, and we may still play at Champion Hill next Saturday.
“But we are very optimistic either way that we will continue until the end of the season. That won’t be an issue.
“The supporters and the community, in particular, have been fantastic, and really shown an unbelievable level of commitment to the cause – above and beyond.”
On Tuesday, Dulwich were stripped of their identity and ordered to stop using their name, logo, nickname and initials by Meadow Residential.
The landlords filed copyright on Dulwich Hamlet Football Club, DHFC and The Hamlet.
That left Rose’s team with just a figleaf of Dulwich for future games.
But that didn’t deter their travelling support at Billericay from hilariously chanting “Trademark Embargo” during the game.
And these are fans that aren’t just creative with their songs, they’re some of the most cutting edge dressers in the game.
After all, one of the must-have fashion items in South London last year was their pink and blue scarves.
Ardent Man United fan James Nesbitt has one and he’s been spotted watching the team from the stands.
Their celebrity profile has also been raised further by Rio Ferdinand, who grew up in nearby Peckham and is best friends with boss Rose.
The former England and Man United defender did his best to save Hamlet by offering around £10m to buy the land back in December.
Meadow Residential rejected the offer made through Ferdinand’s affordable housing company Legacy Foundation – demanding £13m instead.
Hamlet’s landlords had initially planned on building an £80m residential development on the Champion Hill site.
They have since abandoned that idea after Southwark Council opposed their plans.
In fact, Southwark blocked the proposed build and took back the lease of the adjoining land Meadow were interested in.
No doubt, 2018 has been an interesting year for a club that was supposed to be celebrating its 125th anniversary.
In the meantime, the club’s loyal fanbase haveto help Hamlet pay their tax bill.
On the pitch, things couldn’t be going better.
The Hamlet scored a vital 3-1 win away at Billericay Town FC on Tuesday night.
It put them top of The Bostik League Premier Division, albeit having played 4 games more than last night’s opponents who are in second.
But with five home games left of the regular season, they’re certainly within touching distance of closing in on a playoff spot.
Whether or not their hipster fans will be watching them play those games at Champion Hill though is another story.