Founded in 2002, Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust (DHST) is an independent, democratic, not for profit organisation whose main focus is to support and enable a successful and secure future for Dulwich Hamlet Football Club (DHFC) and to give a voice to the Club’s supporters.
Trust membership is open to all supporters. From this membership, Trust Board members are elected, typically on an annual basis, to drive forward work in support of achieving our overarching aims. This of course includes working closely with the Club itself.
The Trust’s activities are wide-ranging from governance and scrutiny of the Club to delivering community initiatives. However the most prominent aspect of our work that fans engage with at home games is the Trust’s ‘Mega Container’. The merchandise sold in this shop is designed, procured and sold by us, with profits split between the Trust and Club. This enables the Trust to have a direct relationship with the fan base, but it also generates revenue for the Trust to invest in the Club in order to give the fan base meaningful influence. We also run and administer the ‘100 Club,’ a monthly lottery through which we raise further funds to invest in the Club for the benefit of supporters.
Perhaps most importantly, the Trust also carries out regular charity and community work, raising funds and gathering donations for a wide range of activities and initiatives including food banks, WrapUp London, LGBTQ+ organisations and the Club’s charity partners.
Since summer 2018 the Trust has invested £93,000 in the Club. A proportion of these funds were used to replace and improve some of the seating within the Tommy Jover Stand. However, the majority of this investment was used to secure a 33.49% stake in the Club. This means that the Trust has a more meaningful influence than ever before, and we have two directors nominated by the Trust to represent fans’ interests on the DHFC board.
The strength of the Trust comes from our membership; we truly are a representation of the Club’s fan base. As such there are a variety of ways you can support and become part of our work, ranging from simply becoming a member to volunteering to help in the Mega Container or sharing your specific skills for the benefit of the Trust and Club as a member of the Trust Board. We are always delighted to hear from you and are constantly looking for new fans and members to put themselves forward to volunteer with us for the wider benefit of the Club and our wider community.