This pretty topical and fortunately getting lots of press because of the plight of Dulwich Hamlet FC, there are lots of great things about Hamlet, they get massive support for step 3 (the 7th tier of English Football) gates often North of 1500 generally a good gate at that level is 300-450.

It is a genuinely community club, lots of young kids at matches kicking balls against walls, there is plenty of intrinsic innovation from the fan base good food and beer on site, a proportion of the fans are relatively affluent and in the 20-45 age group and as a consequence it gets a bit of stick because it has a hipster left of centre feel. It is genuinely a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon, the standard of football is excellent, they play attractive football instilled in them by a coach who has been over achieving at the club for 6 yrs, Gavin Rose.

As is well documented in the press they have been squeezed very hard by the developer who in attempted to crush the club has suddenly billed them for back dated rent which they had agreed to waiver when they the owners set the budget at the beginning of the season, taken all bar profits, trade marked the clubs name and threatened to sue them if they refer to themselves as Dulwich Hamlet, the Hamlet or DHFC. I have been involved with DHFC since 1986 when I used to play at the stadium and over the last couple of years as a fan, the whole business is painful and really given everything that is right with DHFC it would be an absolute travesty should a solution not be found that allows such a positive organisation to exist on the fringe of Camberwell, Brixton and Peckham. The active engagement of the fans and local politicians make me very hopeful that the club will survive, although given past experience there is still some knawing anxiety in the pit of my stomach. I hope today's march is a massive success. 

DHFC  however is not my sole reason for posting and I apologise for its length but the process is cathartic so please bare with. It is a much wider problem for a nation that gets fatter by the day, it stretches the length and breadth of the country Hartlepool, Lowestoft, Worcester to SE London all decent sized centres of population all about to loose or lost a high level sporting focus. The players at this level arduous good and most local, many kids aspire to it and generally in a decent sized state

As a child I was extremely lucky in that my grandad was absolutely passionate about sport, both playing it and watching it. Admittedly sometimes his enthusiasm was miss placed, he bought me a full sized cricket bat when I was 5 which I finally managed to lift when I was 15.

He worked as a boiler plater and unfortunately got badly injured at work breaking his back, but I can still remember kicking a ball with him balanced on two walking sticks. My dad in comparison was not a natural footballer and kicking a ball with him even at 7 years old was painful, that said he had been indoctrinated in the ways of the Villa. So alternate weeks the three of us would drive up to Birmingham to watch what was at the time 3rd division football. 

That left alternative weeks free for some what my grandad called ... real football!! down St George's Lane, watching the mighty Worcester City FC. A homely 5,000 capcity stadium nestled in front of the channel on the fringe of the town centre framed behind their legendary blue main gates, known throughout non league circles as "the gates of convenience" as emblazoned in the middle of the gates in white paint were the clubs initials WC. Once over the threshold I was allowed to start on my 1/4 oz of lemon Bon Bons that would induce jaw ache and nausea by half time what ever the score. 

And score we did! 

Steeped In FA Cup giant killing history, we knocked Millwall and Liverpool out in 1957 (one of the biggest giant killing feats of all time) before loosing in front of 17,000 to Sheffield United at the Lane. 17,0000!!!! Fans. Funnily enough I missed that one by a decade but still spent some balmy afternoons and floodlit evenings watching City destroy Plymouth Argyle and run Newport County close (the support was so big there was a British rail football special to the first game) (1978) , get hammered by Coventry (1983), loose to Huddersfield (2005) live on match of the day and then a mere 5 years ago get revenge over Coventry at the Ricoh and the year after we had a televised 3rd round penalty marathon loosing to S****horpe 14-13 on penalties! 

Unfortunately City lost control of their ground in 2013 having sold to property developers to pay debts, the sale also raised money to develop a new ground locally. Unfortunately stalling by the council, no political advocates and objections by resident to a new grade has resulted in a prolonged 15 mile drive to home fixtures, that kills the community feel of a club, gates plummet. After 4 years at Kiddy thsir financial position was such that to keep the club afloat we dropped 3 divisions from the conference North right through the Southern League to Step 5 "West Midlands Premier" and moved in with what were once old southern league rivals Bromsgrove (nee Rovers now Sporting).

We are now 5 years on, their is no non league football club in Worcester a town of close to 100,000 admittedly with a premier league Rugby team propped up by a benefactor recruiting Southern Hemisphere internationals in the twilight of their career and 1st Division Cricket team (the  Damon D'Olivera babes ... but that is an inspirational story ... may he RIP). Next season it is likely that Worcester City will no longer be financially viable even at step 5 and may be playing amateur football. How can that happen live FA Cup football to park football in 5 years! Sports grounds need some sort of protection against property development particularly in areas of high population density as a community asset they must be preserved if they can be relocated legitmately ie. Planning approved simulateneous development fine. If not no development.