The recently announced new Premiership TV deal is worth a staggering £5.1bn over 2016-19. This represents a 70 per cent increase compared to the previous agreement. Used wisely, then this injection of funds could transform our national game. There is nothing to stop the Premier League deciding to put in place structures to ensure that at least some of these funds benefit non-league football and the grassroots. There is also absolutely nothing to stop the Premier league regulating to ensure that clubs must agree to certain social standards.

Unfortunately, the Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, seems focused on doing just the opposite. In fact, he is not just interested in protecting his select group of elite clubs, but also protecting the elite within Premier league clubs. Asked whether it made him uncomfortable to see clubs paying some players “half-a-million pounds a week” while other members of staff earned below the living wage, Scudamore said: “No, it doesn’t make me uncomfortable.”

Well, we are pleased to say that this does make us feel uncomfortable at Dulwich Hamlet. And despite the fact that our club won’t receive a penny of this £5.1bn cash bonanza, we are proud that Hadley Property Group (managers of Dulwich Hamlet) are still able to find the funds to pay our employed staff the London Living Wage. We are fortunate that much of the work that is undertaken at our club is done by volunteers for the love of the club. We of course applaud this as well.

Matt Rimmer, head of communications for Hadley Property Group, said “The London Living Wage isn’t just an aspiration, or good idea – it should be a prerequisite. As has been well-documented, this club’s got a number of financial issues – none of which should stand in the way of core principles. Alongside the abolition of Workfare, this was one of the first steps we made when we took over the running of the club last year. Obviously we’ve all seen the latest Premier League deal, which is really just further reason for the Living Wage to be rolled out right across the board.”

If our club can manage to do this at the seventh level of the English football pyramid, then there is absolutely no justification for Premier League clubs to refuse to pay this wage. Chelsea and Everton have agreed to pay it. We await news from the other eighteen.

This is why we are backing the Football Beyond Borders campaign to ask Richard Scudamore to ensure all Premier League clubs (as a minimum) pay all their employees and contractors the Living Wage. We encourage all Dulwich Hamlet supporters to sign the petition here. You can watch a video on the issue by the excellent Copa90 YouTube channel, who incidentally also made this feature on our recent anti-homophobia friendly with Stonewall FC.

The Trust is also working closely with the newly formulated Football Action Network (FAN) to tackle some of the other wider issues that are affecting our national game. FAN is a non-bureaucratic network promoting activism, solidarity and idea sharing among football fans’ groups, Trusts, NGOs, bloggers and journalists. It’s free from funding ties and aims to be a coordinated voice to deliver change in our national game. It will publish a manifesto in March to highlight the many issues that are affecting our game, from a corrupt FIFA down to lack of funding at the grassroots. DHST is working to ensure that the non-league voice is heard in this manifesto.

We are very excited that one of the leading lights behind FAN, David Goldblatt, will be at Champion Hill on Saturday. Football Beyond Borders (FBB) TV will interview David during our game on the aims of FAN. FBB will also be producing a second film on Dulwich Hamlet, which will focus on the work that we have been doing with the community to ensure that all are made welcome at Champion Hill. If you have a story to share, then please do make yourself known to them on Saturday.

Up the Hamlet!