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Dulwich Hamlet

Champion Hill

Capacity: 3,000 (Seats 500)
Club Nickname: The Hamlet
Year Opened: 1992*
Pitch Size: 110 x 70 yards
Address: Edgar Kail Way, East Dulwich, London SE22 8BD
Phone: 020 7274 8707
Pitch Type: Grass
Undersoil Heating: No
Home Kit: Navy Blue and Pink
Last Update: September 7, 2023

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 to 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. DHFC is proudly emblazoned below it. 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 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, then it is pleasing that a compromise to suit all parties has been reached. It is likely that the new ground will have a 3G artificial pitch. More information about the proposals can be found on the Champion Hill Proposals  website.

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 Carribean 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.

There is a club house at the ground which welcomes away fans. Otherwise, if you turn right out of East Dulwich station, then there is the Cherry Tree pub down on the left.

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 Dulwick 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, otherwise street parking.

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. As you leave the station turn left along the main road and just before the East Dulwich Fish and Chip Shop, turn left into St Francis Road. At the end of this road proceed along the short pathway in front and then turn right into Abbotswood Road. The club entrance is along this road on the left next to the Sainsbury’s Supermarket.

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 Attendance

2018-2019: 1,830 (National League South)
2017-2018: 1,317 (Isthmian Premier League)

If there is anything that needs to be updated or if you have something to add to this guide to Champion Hill Dulwich Hamlet then please email me at: [email protected].

Special thanks to Geoff Jackson for providing some photos of Champion Hill Dulwich Hamlet. Check out Geoff’s Cumbrian Groundhopper blog.

Reviews

Avatar of Ian Thomas (Havant and Waterlooville) Ian Thomas (Havant and Waterlooville)

Dulwich Hamlet v Havant and Waterlooville
National League South
Tuesday 21st January 2020, 7.45pm
Ian Thomas (Havant and Waterlooville)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Champion Hill Ground?
 
I'd read lots online about Dulwich being a great little community club, big crowds and good facilities, plus Havant were riding high in the league table and unbeaten away from home.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
I'd take the train if this was a 3pm kick off. Dulwich is slap bang in the middle of south London and driving there was always going to be a long one. One hour to travel the first 70 miles and another hour to do the last 5! we parked up at the ground however with free parking, street parking is available too, get there early for the ground parking as the car park is very small.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
We took a walk around East Dulwich looking for a chippy. Unfortunately the one local closed a while ago. There are a few pubs close by and fast food outlets. As it was freezing we ate something quickly and headed into the ground and the clubhouse. There is nothing more hipster than Pieminister pies at £10 and dogs in club colours… welcome to London!
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Champion Hill Stadium?
 
A nice setup, the Main Stand and Clubhouse dominate the ground with open terraces at either end. The clubhouse has a large bar and lots of room for supporters. 
 
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
A strange game, Havant doing most of the attacking, missing a penalty and being 1 nil down…. to then come back and win 3 -1 was fantastic. The home fans were quiet throughout and an attendance of only 800 when nearly 3000 had been in the week before seemed strange, maybe the cold put a few fair-weather fans off! Hot and cold drinks were served outside and the previously mentioned pies from Pieminister…… great tasting I know but at £10 a pop no thanks!
 
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
The traffic in south London had eased considerably by 10 pm and it was a simple journey back through Clapham to the A3 and home.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
A cracking evening out, the 25 Hawks fans made themselves heard and the team carried on the away unbeaten run.
Avatar of Myles Munsey (Ground hopper) Myles Munsey (Ground hopper)

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.

Avatar of Brian Scott (Neutral) Brian Scott (Neutral)

Dulwich Hamlet v Chelmsford City
National League South
Saturday 26th January 2019, 3pm
Brian Scott (Neutral)

Why were you looking forward to this game and visiting the Champion Hill Ground?
 
Before today I'd only got two grounds in the National League South to visit. I'm now left with Truro City. That one being very difficult due to location and the fact that they don't have a ground of their own. But another reason to visit Dulwich Hamlet was to give them my tiny bit of support now they are back in their rightful home.
 
How easy was your journey/finding the ground/car parking?
 
I have a friend who lives within easy walking distance of the ground, so after having lunch with him, we had a leisurely stroll to Champion Hill ground. He's not a football fan, so it was also a first for him. He hadn't been to a football match since he was taken to White Hart Lane as a child.
 
What you did before the game pub/chippy etc, and were the home fans friendly?
 
We arrived at 2.15pm and there were quite a lot of people already inside the ground. Having found a couple of seats I left him and had a walk around the ground to take some photos.
 
What you thought on seeing the ground, first impressions of away end then other sides of the Champion Hill Stadium?
 
This ground is all about the very impressive Main Stand, with the 'stands' and raised areas on the other sides being very limited indeed. There was a good view from our seats, plenty of leg room and we were out of the drizzle. It was a good job that additional portable toilets have been provided on the south side of the ground as both times I went to the Gents under the Main Stand during the game there was a queue.
 
The Main Stand
Comment on the game itself, atmosphere, stewards, pies, facilities etc..
 
There were a fair number of Chelmsford fans who made themselves heard within four minutes after their first goal. There was also some chanting from both sets of supporters at various times throughout the game. After Chelmsford's early goal, Hamlet equalised two minutes later. After 33 minutes Hamlet had a player sent off after receiving his second yellow card. Despite this disadvantage, the game was fairly even until Chelmsford scored in the 59th minute. They rounded off the game with a third goal on 90 minutes. The attendance was an impressive 2,826 which is not far short of the record of 3,104 given.
 
That's A Big One!
Comment on getting away from the ground after the game:
 
It was a very easy walk back to East Dulwich Station, then two stops south to Tulse Hill, and then into London to Farringdon and then underground to Liverpool Street, and out of town to Ipswich. This route was the quickest and also avoided Millwall whose match started at 5.30pm.
 
Summary of overall thoughts of the day out:
 
Yet another good day out into Non-league. The attendance was the greatest that I've ever been among for a non-league game. The previous one being Salford in the National League Premier. That one being 2,272 on 8-9-18.