Last Update:
March 12, 2026
The Champion Hill ground is largely open and has mostly flat standing areas on three sides, with just a small portion (a few steps high) of terracing towards the rear. Both the East and West ends are uncovered, as well as most of the Southside, although this does have a small portion of cover and terrace located at its centre.
However, the Tommy Jover Main Stand on the other side is quite a posh-looking affair, even though it has been built onto the front of an office building. This all-seated stand is elevated, meaning that you have to climb a small set of stairs to enter it. Once there, you are rewarded with excellent views of the pitch as there are no supporting pillars to contend with.
There is a glassed area visible from the back of this covered stand that contains the Social Club. The area is covered, and the roof has a gable on top, which includes a clock.
There is a large, ugly radio mast that overlooks the ground from the South West corner. The East End of the ground is also known as the Car Wash End. The stadium is completed with a set of four modern-looking floodlights.
Dulwich Hamlet are a well-supported club, which can make for a good atmosphere. Normally, visiting fans are made welcome, and a sign of this is that fans are very rarely segregated at the ground.
You can also enjoy some Caribbean Cuisine inside the stadium from the ‘Shak’; the same people who have their legendary food place at Tooting & Mitcham FC, where Dulwich Hamlet were groundsharing for a while. There is also a large Sainsbury’s Store nearby that has a Starbucks and a cashpoint.
New stadium proposals
Dulwich Hamlet FC and Meadow Partners, who own the site of the current ground, have submitted a joint planning application to build a new 4,000-capacity stadium on the site of Champion Hill alongside a residential development.
The stadium, which will be built with the potential to expand the capacity to 5,000, will be leased to the Club on a long 125 year long lease. After all the former wranglings between the parties, which resulted in Dulwich Hamlet leaving Champion Hill and groundsharing with Tooting & Mitcham, it is pleasing that a compromise to suit all parties has been reached.
Being a non-league stadium, Dulwich Hamlet’s Champion Hill Ground is far from the best-equipped venue in England.
In truth, your preferred seats at this ground are going to depend heavily on whether you intend on sitting or standing – most fans tend to opt for the latter.
If you go to matches for the atmosphere, then standing is undoubtedly the best option.
However, if you are looking solely for the best views on offer at the stadium, then the upper tiers of the various stands at the facility are where you’ll want to sit. More specifically, fans have stated that the upper tier of the West Stand provides the perfect view of the pitch.
Thankfully, with most supporters instead preferring the lively atmosphere in the terraced sections, seats in this stand very rarely sell out and you should find it relatively easy to secure yourself a seat in this section as a result.
There is a clubhouse at the ground which welcomes away fans. Otherwise, the following pubs are all within walking distance:
- East Dulwich Tavern – 1 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8EW
- Cherry Tree – 31-33 Grove Vale, London SE22 8EQ
- Watson’s General Telegraph – 108 Forest Hill Rd, London SE22 0RS
By car
Leave the M25 at Junction 7 and take the M23 towards London. At the end of the M23, take the A23 towards Croydon. Continue along the A23 towards Central London through Croydon and then Streatham.
On reaching the junction with the South Circular A205, turn right towards Dulwich. After passing Dulwich Park on your left, turn left onto Lordship Lane (A2216) towards East Dulwich.
Go through East Dulwich and go straight on when you come to a roundabout. You will pass East Dulwich station on your left and then just past the small park on your left, turn left into Sainsbury’s. The ground is located to the left of the store. There is a small car park at the ground.
By public transport
East Dulwich Railway Station is around 200 yards from the ground and is only around a 5-10 minute walk away. It is served by trains from London Bridge
Adults £12
Concessions £5
Under 13’s Free
Concessions apply to: Over 60’s, Under 20’s, Full Time Students, the Unemployed and current members of the Armed Forces and Emergency Services and Local Authority Employees. Relevant ID may be required to be shown as proof of status.
Official Matchday Programme £2.
Tooting & Mitcham
Record attendance
3,336 v Carlisle United
FA Cup 1st Round, 8th November 2019.
Average attendances
2022-2023: 2,464 (National League South)
2021-2022: 2,712 (National League South)
Dulwich Hamlet v Havant and Waterlooville
National League South
Tuesday 21st January 2020, 7.45pm
Ian Thomas (Havant and Waterlooville)
Dulwich Hamlet v Welling United
National League South
Saturday 9th February 2019 3pm
Myles Munsey (Ground hopper)
Reasons for visit
Having visited their temporary home at Tooting and Mitcham in August 2018, I was really pleased when Dulwich Hamlet returned to Champion Hill – their rightful home. With the days now getting longer a trip out to review Champion Hill was in order. So it was that I picked out the Welling game as a promising fixture to attend. This game was important to both clubs for different reasons. For Welling, points were required to maintain a promotion push, for Dulwich points were vital to avoid looking over their shoulders towards the drop zone. I do not want to see this famous club scrapping away in a relegation dogfight.
Getting there
The underground once again was plagued by engineering work so it took a while longer to reach London Bridge. Once at London Bridge though, it is a simple journey of four stops to reach East Dulwich. The ground could hardly be more convenient and is just a short walk from East Dulwich Station.
First impressions
It does not behove me to compare apples with oranges but I spent quite some time assessing the effect on the eye of both former and present grounds. I am no architect so whilst the Main Stand is imposing (as is the entrance block) finished as they are in ochre-coloured brick, they do look a bit odd. Once inside though it is very much a proper football ground, though being a traditionalist I found more favour in the standing area on the far side with the artwork on the adjacent wall. As with my August visit I was made most welcome so a big thumbs up for that! The tall radio mast is an eyesore and the floodlight pylons are modern so I hope I am not being harsh by saying that this is a strange ground. It is a proud one though and I cannot fault my seat which commanded a great view of the action.
Covered Standing Area
Before the game
I had already eaten at London Bridge so most time was taken up with my customary photo-shoot and the purchase of a programme. My programme got wet after a gust of wind took the spray from the sprinkler in my direction but I was offered another one – nice touch. I got talking to the Welling head coach who gave me the rundown on what life was like at this level. Mostly frustrating so it seems!
What looked like a modest crowd swelled considerably about 2.15 so the advice to take a seat in the main stand early on was heeded and I picked a suitable spot near the halfway line. As the seats to my left and right soon filled up I found myself talking to the locals who were a fount of knowledge on this club.
The game
Make no mistake – this was a good game, though at times it got techy and petulant. It is, after all, a cross-London fixture though the referee’s patience must at times have been sorely tested by players who it seems were minded to question everything. Welling’s biggest threat came down the left flank through Brendan Kiernan and he was a handful all afternoon. Having spurned an earlier half chance Dulwich scored on 14 minutes, Nathan Green taking a superb reverse pass from Dan Thompson and striking the ball confidently past Dan Wilks in the Welling Goal. 1-0 at halftime.
The second half at times became rather ragged though Wilks pulled off an astonishing stop from a pile driver by Akinyemi. Just when the game looked to be winding down Dulwich scored again through Decarry Sherriff’s low shot. (86’). Welling pulled one back with a minute left through Bradley Goldberg and Hamlet then had to see out a further nervy six minutes. Job done though and the three points will give them a little breathing space.
Getting away
Even though the game overran (the second half oddly starting 10 minutes late) and didn’t finish until just shy of 5 o’clock it is only a four-minute shuffle diagonally across the adjacent park and I was thus easily able to make the 17.08 train back to London Bridge.
Overall thoughts
What makes Dulwich Hamlet is not in my view the infrastructure or the bricks and mortar. Instead, the fabric of the club lies in the supporters and the local community who clearly love this club. When people dress top to toe in pink on match day and dye their hair pink as well you can see the connectivity between the club and public working to the fore. There are lots of people here getting the club back on its feet after an acrimonious enforced absence. Enough negativity for now. Go to Dulwich for the welcome, the atmosphere and the characters. You will not be disappointed.
Postscript
Since returning to Champion Hill attendances have soared. For this game, there were 2,353, which is impressive.
Dulwich Hamlet v Chelmsford City
National League South
Saturday 26th January 2019, 3pm
Brian Scott (Neutral)