It's a shame that is so badly written as it makes it difficult understand the basic facts and to see any positive way forward, or even to take the writer's side in the dispute. Clearly emotions are running high and some wrong doing has taken place. The writer seems to blame Cray Valley Paper Mill fc.
I hadn't actually realised when I posted that link that it actually contained their resignation from the league! I've been to Cray Valley a few times and it's struck me as a well-run club, while Greenwich Borough seemed to have been a bit of a shambles after their benefactor died. (The "club ambassador" couldn't even spell its name right: https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/greenwichboroughfc/news/statement-from-club-ambassador-2436202.html)
It's a shame that is so badly written as it makes it difficult understand the basic facts and to see any positive way forward, or even to take the writer's side in the dispute. Clearly emotions are running high and some wrong doing has taken place. The writer seems to blame Cray Valley Paper Mill fc.
I hadn't actually realised when I posted that link that it actually contained their resignation from the league! I've been to Cray Valley a few times and it's struck me as a well-run club, while Greenwich Borough seemed to have been a bit of a shambles after their benefactor died. (The "club ambassador" couldn't even spell its name right: https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/greenwichboroughfc/news/statement-from-club-ambassador-2436202.html)
I live close to the ground, and was surprised when Greenwich Borough were evicted as they had reached the play-offs the year before. Clearly a lot of goings on off the field, always sad when a team with a history departs, Ian Wright started out there, before moving to (redacted).
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Yeah, it’s killed the atmosphere because the old-school lot and the people who started going in the early days of the surge in attendances find it hard to gather together because there are just *so many* tourists. Last Saturday had a crowd of 3,100 and it was suffocating. Trouble is, the club is banking on these huge crowds, and that is where trouble begins...
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I was at Dartford, they were mediocre but far better than against Slough last week. Missed that number 4's foul as I was talking nonsense.
I thought Dulwich would have more away fans. Dartford are going well but I think they'll just miss the playoffs. Too many teams going for those final spots and they dropped too many points early in the season.
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Yeah, it’s killed the atmosphere because the old-school lot and the people who started going in the early days of the surge in attendances find it hard to gather together because there are just *so many* tourists. Last Saturday had a crowd of 3,100 and it was suffocating. Trouble is, the club is banking on these huge crowds, and that is where trouble begins...
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I know they've generally always had decent crowds in recent times but why? I mean if you're a tourist and fancy going to a game and have a beer but have no real interest in the result, then why would you choose Dulwich? And it's not like it's a 100 fans, it's 1000.
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Yeah, it’s killed the atmosphere because the old-school lot and the people who started going in the early days of the surge in attendances find it hard to gather together because there are just *so many* tourists. Last Saturday had a crowd of 3,100 and it was suffocating. Trouble is, the club is banking on these huge crowds, and that is where trouble begins...
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I know they've generally always had decent crowds in recent times but why? I mean if you're a tourist and fancy going to a game and have a beer but have no real interest in the result, then why would you choose Dulwich? And it's not like it's a 100 fans, it's 1000.
I've often wondered the same. Presumably, it's the gentrified people of Dulwich, Camberwell & Peckham ?
Although, I've always been curious why Charlton supporters who live in Charlton would go to Dulwich.
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Yeah, it’s killed the atmosphere because the old-school lot and the people who started going in the early days of the surge in attendances find it hard to gather together because there are just *so many* tourists. Last Saturday had a crowd of 3,100 and it was suffocating. Trouble is, the club is banking on these huge crowds, and that is where trouble begins...
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I know they've generally always had decent crowds in recent times but why? I mean if you're a tourist and fancy going to a game and have a beer but have no real interest in the result, then why would you choose Dulwich? And it's not like it's a 100 fans, it's 1000.
I've often wondered the same. Presumably, it's the gentrified people of Dulwich, Camberwell & Peckham ?
Although, I've always been curious why Charlton supporters who live in Charlton would go to Dulwich.
Gentrification, certainly, and the promotion of ethnic and sexual diversity on the terraces. I copped the old Dulwich ground 25 years ago: a vast, decrepit stadium that had seen crowds of 20,000 for Amateur Cup ties but was reduced to a couple of hundred fans shuffling on crumbling terraces.
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Yeah, it’s killed the atmosphere because the old-school lot and the people who started going in the early days of the surge in attendances find it hard to gather together because there are just *so many* tourists. Last Saturday had a crowd of 3,100 and it was suffocating. Trouble is, the club is banking on these huge crowds, and that is where trouble begins...
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I know they've generally always had decent crowds in recent times but why? I mean if you're a tourist and fancy going to a game and have a beer but have no real interest in the result, then why would you choose Dulwich? And it's not like it's a 100 fans, it's 1000.
Short version: It's one of the easiest grounds to reach from central London, it's only £12 to get in, you can booze while watching the game, there are a lot of 20/30-somethings with a bit of money who have moved into the area, it's been hyped up relentlessly in recent years, so it becomes an "experience", like queuing at The Breakfast Club in Shoreditch on a Sunday morning.
Longer version: The club was dying on its arse about ten years ago, crowds had dropped to a couple of hundred. (A mate of mine used to go all the time until about 2009, when he gave up because it was too depressing.) After Gavin Rose became manager, he found a knack for developing waifs and strays into decent players and built up a reputation for attractive football. Word spread, some of the newer fans spread the word with funny videos that went viral, and they were up to about 600 or so by about 2014. Then there was a "pay what you want" day for Non-League Day and the place was packed, and it seemed to go from there - there was a bit of media attention, including the notorious "Hipster FC" thing in the Observer magazine, and it grew and grew. On the other side, there was also a lot of community work - stuff that Charlton had done years back like tickets for schools, charity collections, that kind of thing - which also helped. The row over the ground being redeveloped provided more media coverage, but when they were in exile at Tooting & Mitcham - and nearly folded - it showed just how soft a lot of the more recent support was. Since they've been back at Champion Hill it's been enormous crowds every Saturday home match - and they've milked it with pitchside bars. It's easy to get to, the demographics are just right, and those people simply aren't going to schlep out to Welling or Wealdstone. The number of people who care about the club has grown massively, and if you stripped out the day-trippers you'd still have 1,500, even 2,000 people. But now the crowds are at 3,000, it has reached the point where the football can be turgid (which it has been a lot this season), but possibly a third of the crowd just doesn't care, because they're checking the Premier League on their phones and are just pleased to be there because they can tell their mates and they've just bought a pink and blue scarf as a souvenir (kerching!). The club is, at least, profitable for now - but that money needs to be spent wisely...
My own theory is it'll calm down if they ever get to Conference National because pitch-side drinking will be banned. But that seems a long way off!
Went to Wimborne Town 0 Hendon 2 yesterday, in Southern Premier League.
One of the nicest non-league grounds I've been to. Ramshackle & an iffy pitch but set in a lovely area, with a great bar and good food. Didn't see Matt Holmes yesterday (Director of Football) but the whole club exudes his politeness and class. They're not the greatest team (we beat them pretty easily yesterday) but it's well worth a visit.
Four wins in a row now for Hendon and starting move away from the relegation spots. Every Hendon player came over at the end and shook hands with the fans, which went down well.
In Conference South, I see Wealdstone sneaked past challengers Bath yesterday with a lucky 7-0 win.......
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Yeah, it’s killed the atmosphere because the old-school lot and the people who started going in the early days of the surge in attendances find it hard to gather together because there are just *so many* tourists. Last Saturday had a crowd of 3,100 and it was suffocating. Trouble is, the club is banking on these huge crowds, and that is where trouble begins...
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I know they've generally always had decent crowds in recent times but why? I mean if you're a tourist and fancy going to a game and have a beer but have no real interest in the result, then why would you choose Dulwich? And it's not like it's a 100 fans, it's 1000.
I've often wondered the same. Presumably, it's the gentrified people of Dulwich, Camberwell & Peckham ?
Although, I've always been curious why Charlton supporters who live in Charlton would go to Dulwich.
It's four stops on the train from Blackheath - it's not like it's a massive schlep. And personally speaking, I always knew people who went there anyway, which I never really did with Welling or Dartford.
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Yeah, it’s killed the atmosphere because the old-school lot and the people who started going in the early days of the surge in attendances find it hard to gather together because there are just *so many* tourists. Last Saturday had a crowd of 3,100 and it was suffocating. Trouble is, the club is banking on these huge crowds, and that is where trouble begins...
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I know they've generally always had decent crowds in recent times but why? I mean if you're a tourist and fancy going to a game and have a beer but have no real interest in the result, then why would you choose Dulwich? And it's not like it's a 100 fans, it's 1000.
Short version: It's one of the easiest grounds to reach from central London, it's only £12 to get in, you can booze while watching the game, there are a lot of 20/30-somethings with a bit of money who have moved into the area, it's been hyped up relentlessly in recent years, so it becomes an "experience", like queuing at The Breakfast Club in Shoreditch on a Sunday morning.
Longer version: The club was dying on its arse about ten years ago, crowds had dropped to a couple of hundred. (A mate of mine used to go all the time until about 2009, when he gave up because it was too depressing.) After Gavin Rose became manager, he found a knack for developing waifs and strays into decent players and built up a reputation for attractive football. Word spread, some of the newer fans spread the word with funny videos that went viral, and they were up to about 600 or so by about 2014. Then there was a "pay what you want" day for Non-League Day and the place was packed, and it seemed to go from there - there was a bit of media attention, including the notorious "Hipster FC" thing in the Observer magazine, and it grew and grew. On the other side, there was also a lot of community work - stuff that Charlton had done years back like tickets for schools, charity collections, that kind of thing - which also helped. The row over the ground being redeveloped provided more media coverage, but when they were in exile at Tooting & Mitcham - and nearly folded - it showed just how soft a lot of the more recent support was. Since they've been back at Champion Hill it's been enormous crowds every Saturday home match - and they've milked it with pitchside bars. It's easy to get to, the demographics are just right, and those people simply aren't going to schlep out to Welling or Wealdstone. The number of people who care about the club has grown massively, and if you stripped out the day-trippers you'd still have 1,500, even 2,000 people. But now the crowds are at 3,000, it has reached the point where the football can be turgid (which it has been a lot this season), but possibly a third of the crowd just doesn't care, because they're checking the Premier League on their phones and are just pleased to be there because they can tell their mates and they've just bought a pink and blue scarf as a souvenir (kerching!). The club is, at least, profitable for now - but that money needs to be spent wisely...
My own theory is it'll calm down if they ever get to Conference National because pitch-side drinking will be banned. But that seems a long way off!
Went to Wimborne Town 0 Hendon 2 yesterday, in Southern Premier League.
One of the nicest non-league grounds I've been to. Ramshackle & an iffy pitch but set in a lovely area, with a great bar and good food. Didn't see Matt Holmes yesterday (Director of Football) but the whole club exudes his politeness and class. They're not the greatest team (we beat them pretty easily yesterday) but it's well worth a visit.
Four wins in a row now for Hendon and starting move away from the relegation spots. Every Hendon player came over at the end and shook hands with the fans, which went down well.
In Conference South, I see Wealdstone sneaked past challengers Bath yesterday with a lucky 7-0 win.......
Should of popped in for a beer either on the way down or back.... Or both....
Also, I've found Dulwich a much more pleasurable experience when taking kids. I can get a decent cask ale, or Brick's Peckham Pale on keg, the kids can play football at half-time and stand right behind the goal if they want. When they have a smaller crowd, the songs are often funny, and I've made a lot of friends there. You're more likely to on the terraces with a pint.
The last couple of times I've taken kids to Charlton, the aggression and vitriol when we're losing is really unpleasant and also, completely accepted. No one bats an eyelid when informing kids that South London is full of "t*ts and f*nny". I don't have to put up with that 70s throwback BS at Dulwich.
Dulwich Hamlet is a good experience. One bus ride from Catford to outside the ground. The more newcomers, hipsters or whoever the better. The club has moved forward and as a result gathered more regular fans. Not via ex Manchester United players using it as a hobby with a documentary to boot like Salford, but in it's own organic way. I would estimate a 'hard core' that equals most other non League clubs that have not been in the league at some time.
Not sure I could think of anything worse than going to a Dulwich game. Hipster tourists drinking craft beer and buying club scarves just to look cool sounds like modern football at it's worst, even if it is non-league.
Not sure I could think of anything worse than going to a Dulwich game. Hipster tourists drinking craft beer and buying club scarves just to look cool sounds like modern football at it's worst, even if it is non-league.
You
missed the Facebook and Instagram check-ins. There are worse things in modern
football though, at least they’re giving money to someone other than Sky. The
worst modern fans wouldn’t even consider a live game.
I’ve
only been to Dulwich once, we played a friendly there when Pardew was in
charge. Not many home (or away) fans present. The highlight was seeing Pardew stumble
and nearly fall over when entering Sainsbury’s car park after.
Scrappy win for the Darts today. Saw a few cafc fans there. Dulwich looked quite poor. Put their foot in a bit and should have had a player sent off for a shocking tackle. Looks like Steve King can take them to play offs. Fancy them as Elliot Romaine is such a good CF for this level.
Dulwich were awful, and have been for much of the season. The money from having 1,500 extra people in Champion Hill who treat it like a beer garden is being wasted on a whole load of mediocre players who really don’t seem to care. Ho-hum.
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
I went to the return fixture in December, a weird atmosphere at the ground as a lot of the people there seemed to have little interest in the match itself
Yeah, it’s killed the atmosphere because the old-school lot and the people who started going in the early days of the surge in attendances find it hard to gather together because there are just *so many* tourists. Last Saturday had a crowd of 3,100 and it was suffocating. Trouble is, the club is banking on these huge crowds, and that is where trouble begins...
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I know they've generally always had decent crowds in recent times but why? I mean if you're a tourist and fancy going to a game and have a beer but have no real interest in the result, then why would you choose Dulwich? And it's not like it's a 100 fans, it's 1000.
Short version: It's one of the easiest grounds to reach from central London, it's only £12 to get in, you can booze while watching the game, there are a lot of 20/30-somethings with a bit of money who have moved into the area, it's been hyped up relentlessly in recent years, so it becomes an "experience", like queuing at The Breakfast Club in Shoreditch on a Sunday morning.
Longer version: The club was dying on its arse about ten years ago, crowds had dropped to a couple of hundred. (A mate of mine used to go all the time until about 2009, when he gave up because it was too depressing.) After Gavin Rose became manager, he found a knack for developing waifs and strays into decent players and built up a reputation for attractive football. Word spread, some of the newer fans spread the word with funny videos that went viral, and they were up to about 600 or so by about 2014. Then there was a "pay what you want" day for Non-League Day and the place was packed, and it seemed to go from there - there was a bit of media attention, including the notorious "Hipster FC" thing in the Observer magazine, and it grew and grew. On the other side, there was also a lot of community work - stuff that Charlton had done years back like tickets for schools, charity collections, that kind of thing - which also helped. The row over the ground being redeveloped provided more media coverage, but when they were in exile at Tooting & Mitcham - and nearly folded - it showed just how soft a lot of the more recent support was. Since they've been back at Champion Hill it's been enormous crowds every Saturday home match - and they've milked it with pitchside bars. It's easy to get to, the demographics are just right, and those people simply aren't going to schlep out to Welling or Wealdstone. The number of people who care about the club has grown massively, and if you stripped out the day-trippers you'd still have 1,500, even 2,000 people. But now the crowds are at 3,000, it has reached the point where the football can be turgid (which it has been a lot this season), but possibly a third of the crowd just doesn't care, because they're checking the Premier League on their phones and are just pleased to be there because they can tell their mates and they've just bought a pink and blue scarf as a souvenir (kerching!). The club is, at least, profitable for now - but that money needs to be spent wisely...
My own theory is it'll calm down if they ever get to Conference National because pitch-side drinking will be banned. But that seems a long way off!
I live fairly close by and am one of the tourists, going to 3-5 matches a season (including at T&M during the exile). I want Dulwich to do well but wouldn't consider myself a proper fan. A lot of people go because it's a good place to meet mates. It's particularly popular for those with young kids who can be have a kick about in a safe environment.
Not sure I could think of anything worse than going to a Dulwich game. Hipster tourists drinking craft beer and buying club scarves just to look cool sounds like modern football at it's worst, even if it is non-league.
Yeah, that's not what going to Dulwich is like, but maybe stay away, just in case.
I have enjoyed going to Dulwich to see them play Slough. It’s a good ground, the fans are friendly and the ones I spoke to knowledgeable about football. Good vegetarian options in the catering and easy to get to by public transport or bike. They make a good noise there too. What’s not to like?
Not sure I could think of anything worse than going to a Dulwich game. Hipster tourists drinking craft beer and buying club scarves just to look cool sounds like modern football at it's worst, even if it is non-league.
You
missed the Facebook and Instagram check-ins. There are worse things in modern
football though, at least they’re giving money to someone other than Sky. The
worst modern fans wouldn’t even consider a live game.
I’ve
only been to Dulwich once, we played a friendly there when Pardew was in
charge. Not many home (or away) fans present. The highlight was seeing Pardew stumble
and nearly fall over when entering Sainsbury’s car park after.
Comments
https://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/latest-news/step-five-and-below/28833/southern-counties-east-football-league-crisis-as-greenwich-borough-resign/
https://twitter.com/matlock_townfc/status/1221153667711217671?s=21
Always a treat to visit Princes Park and the Dartford Jug, though.
There was a midweek match last Tuesday with 844 there, and the atmosphere was fantastic (despite going down 3-1 to a really good Havant & Waterlooville side). But Saturdays are a bit of a strain now.
I thought Dulwich would have more away fans. Dartford are going well but I think they'll just miss the playoffs. Too many teams going for those final spots and they dropped too many points early in the season.
Presumably, it's the gentrified people of Dulwich, Camberwell & Peckham ?
Although, I've always been curious why Charlton supporters who live in Charlton would go to Dulwich.
Longer version: The club was dying on its arse about ten years ago, crowds had dropped to a couple of hundred. (A mate of mine used to go all the time until about 2009, when he gave up because it was too depressing.) After Gavin Rose became manager, he found a knack for developing waifs and strays into decent players and built up a reputation for attractive football. Word spread, some of the newer fans spread the word with funny videos that went viral, and they were up to about 600 or so by about 2014. Then there was a "pay what you want" day for Non-League Day and the place was packed, and it seemed to go from there - there was a bit of media attention, including the notorious "Hipster FC" thing in the Observer magazine, and it grew and grew. On the other side, there was also a lot of community work - stuff that Charlton had done years back like tickets for schools, charity collections, that kind of thing - which also helped. The row over the ground being redeveloped provided more media coverage, but when they were in exile at Tooting & Mitcham - and nearly folded - it showed just how soft a lot of the more recent support was. Since they've been back at Champion Hill it's been enormous crowds every Saturday home match - and they've milked it with pitchside bars. It's easy to get to, the demographics are just right, and those people simply aren't going to schlep out to Welling or Wealdstone. The number of people who care about the club has grown massively, and if you stripped out the day-trippers you'd still have 1,500, even 2,000 people. But now the crowds are at 3,000, it has reached the point where the football can be turgid (which it has been a lot this season), but possibly a third of the crowd just doesn't care, because they're checking the Premier League on their phones and are just pleased to be there because they can tell their mates and they've just bought a pink and blue scarf as a souvenir (kerching!). The club is, at least, profitable for now - but that money needs to be spent wisely...
My own theory is it'll calm down if they ever get to Conference National because pitch-side drinking will be banned. But that seems a long way off!
One of the nicest non-league grounds I've been to. Ramshackle & an iffy pitch but set in a lovely area, with a great bar and good food. Didn't see Matt Holmes yesterday (Director of Football) but the whole club exudes his politeness and class. They're not the greatest team (we beat them pretty easily yesterday) but it's well worth a visit.
Four wins in a row now for Hendon and starting move away from the relegation spots. Every Hendon player came over at the end and shook hands with the fans, which went down well.
In Conference South, I see Wealdstone sneaked past challengers Bath yesterday with a lucky 7-0 win.......
Also, I've found Dulwich a much more pleasurable experience when taking kids. I can get a decent cask ale, or Brick's Peckham Pale on keg, the kids can play football at half-time and stand right behind the goal if they want. When they have a smaller crowd, the songs are often funny, and I've made a lot of friends there. You're more likely to on the terraces with a pint.
The last couple of times I've taken kids to Charlton, the aggression and vitriol when we're losing is really unpleasant and also, completely accepted. No one bats an eyelid when informing kids that South London is full of "t*ts and f*nny". I don't have to put up with that 70s throwback BS at Dulwich.
The more newcomers, hipsters or whoever the better.
The club has moved forward and as a result gathered more regular fans. Not via ex Manchester United players using it as a hobby with a documentary to boot like Salford, but in it's own organic way.
I would estimate a 'hard core' that equals most other non League clubs that have not been in the league at some time.
You missed the Facebook and Instagram check-ins. There are worse things in modern football though, at least they’re giving money to someone other than Sky. The worst modern fans wouldn’t even consider a live game.
I’ve only been to Dulwich once, we played a friendly there when Pardew was in charge. Not many home (or away) fans present. The highlight was seeing Pardew stumble and nearly fall over when entering Sainsbury’s car park after.
It’s a good ground, the fans are friendly and the ones I spoke to knowledgeable about football. Good vegetarian options in the catering and easy to get to by public transport or bike.
They make a good noise there too.
What’s not to like?
I suppose his hooter stopped his fall.