Dulwich Hamlet will be celebrating the contribution women make to the football club and the local community at our game on Saturday 7 March. Girls and women’s football teams in south London are invited to watch the game for free. It is the club’s way of marking International Women’s Day, during its home game against VCD Athletic.

Women have played a huge part in the life of the club. One was the late Pat “The Rattle” Mitchell, a legendary figure at the Hamlet. A lifelong fan, she jointly ran the supporters coach to away games for many years. Fiona Scurlock, a DHST board member, recalls: “I saw Pat the first time I came to Dulwich. You could hear her voice and rattle as soon as you walked in. I was pleasantly surprised that a woman was leading the vocal support.” More can be found on Pat in a Southwark News article from 1995.

Despite role models like Pat, sexism is still prevalent and not tackled sufficiently by many football clubs and institutions that govern our game. You just have to look at the media over the last few years for high profile incidents bringing football into disrepute. As long as this behaviour is tolerated, then the game will not change.

Hamlet fans have been very proactive in tacking discrimination in the game. Supporters have stamped out sexist chants, and have even revised some songs with amusing lyrics that everyone can sing along to. The many female fans attending games shows how welcoming the atmosphere is at Champion Hill for all.

The Trust and the club have produced a joint press release to publicise the game. Please do share this with friends, family and colleagues.