Club History
The history of our club is something that has interested many local people.
Our Club history has spanned decades and our success continues
throughout the years, even through the pandemic times.
And a good thing to remember is that success does not have to mean winning trophy’s, but keeping the club going to provide the teams for players to play and enjoy their football is a success in itself
with everything else a bonus !
History & Honours
The club was founded in 1981 when Southwark Sports FC then playing in the Spartan League, under the direction of Kevin Sugrue, asked Bernard Shannon & Michael Linington if they would be interested in running a junior 11-a-side club.
The idea was for the junior club to act as a feeder for the senior club although it was accepted that it would be a few years before any players would actually be ready for the seniors. Thus was born Southwark Sports Junior Football Club.
That first year we fielded two sides and although they were both in the same age group, under 13, it was a start. The team managed by Bernard Shannon played in the Shirley & District Junior League and the team managed by Michael Linington played in the Mercury League.
Then in 1998 the club was approached by the then Dulwich Hamlet FC Chairman, Steve Dye, to bring all of our teams over to them and act as their junior section and feed our better players through to the seniors when they were old enough.
As the Southwark Sports FC had ceased to exist, it was decided that this would be a good move for both the club and our players.
So, for the 1988-89 season we stepped out into the Bexley junior league as Dulwich Hamlet Junior FC.
Everything went well with the continued support of Steve Dye and our teams soon started to provide players for the senior youth team, with a few progressing into the reserves and even onto the first team.
That was a big day for both the player and the club. That first player to play for the first team from the ‘Juniors’ was Lenny O’Connor and he also played a part in a few other games for the first team. He had started playing for the junior club when he was age 7, so when he played for the senior first team that was his twelfth year of playing for both clubs.
All of our teams used to provide ‘ballboys’ for the first team matches and everyone enjoyed doing his or her little bit for the club.
At that time we had many players playing through to the senior youth team and even on into the reserves. Circumstances were not always favourable for our young players trying to get through the system, but not because of a lack of effort or commitment.
A lot of the Dulwich Hamlet FC first team managers would not take a chance on the younger players and preferred to bring in someone with experience – a problem that is still happening today. Unfortunately, that meant that the vast majority of our better players ended up in lower divisions looking to get that ‘experience’ that was so precious to have. This also meant that quite a few players ended up playing against Dulwich Hamlet FC.
Since then the junior club has carried on running teams at every age group it was able to, this was restricted by the shortage of good volunteers to run the teams – but we have done well as this is now our 42nd season as a junior club.
But with new people in charge at Dulwich Hamlet FC we are hopeful that at some point in the near future we will be once again be able to strengthen the ties between the senior and junior clubs and once again be a useful part of each others life !
1981/1982
U13 C LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Shirley & District Junior League*
U13 LEAGUE WINNERS – Mecury & District Youth League*
U13 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Mecury & District Youth League*
1983/84
U14 LONDON CUP
1984/85
U16 LONDON CUP WINNERS
U16 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Mecury & District Youth League*
1985/86
U11 C WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U12 C WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U12 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
1986/87
U10 B WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U13 B WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
U13 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
1987/88
U13 C WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U15 B WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
1988/89
U14 B WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U14 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
U15 LONDON CUP WINNERS
1989/90
U14 LEAGUE CUP RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
U16 A LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U17 A LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U17 LEAGUE CUP RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
1990/91
U15 A LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U15 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
U16 B WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U17 A LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U17 LEAGUE CUP RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
U18 LEAGUE WINNERS – Shirley & District Junior League
1991/92
U16 A LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U16 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
U16 LONDON CUP WINNERS
1992/93
U10 C WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
U10 LEAGUE TROPHY WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
U11 C WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
U13A B WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
U13B C WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U17 A LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
U17 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
U17 LONDON CUP RUNNER UP
1993/94
U10 C WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
1994/95
UNDER 11 B WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS-UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 15 B WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS-UP – Bexley & District Junior League
1995/96
UNDER 12 B WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 13 B WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS-UP – Bexley & District Junior League
1996/97
U14 LEAGUE CUP RUNNERS UP – Bexley and District Junior League
UNDER 12 C WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER LEAGUE CUP RUNNERS UP
1997/98
UNDER 11 B WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 14 A LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 14 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
1998/99
UNDER 12 B WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 15 A LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 15 LONDON CUP WINNERS
1999/00
UNDER 12 D WEST CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 13 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 16 A LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
2000/01
UNDER 14 LEAGUE CUP RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 17 A LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 17 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
2001/02
UNDER 10 C WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 11 C WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 14 C WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 15 A LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 16 B WEST LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 16 B LEAGUE CHAMPIONS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 16 LEAGUE CUP WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
2002/03
UNDER 11 C WEST LEAGUE WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 11 C LEAGUE WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 14 B WEST LEAGUE WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 14 B LEAGUE WINNERS – Bexley & District Junior League
UNDER 16 A LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
2003/04
U12 B WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
U15 B WEST LEAGUE RUNNERS UP – Bexley & District Junior League
2014/15
U13 GOLD SHIELD RUNNERS UP – South East London & Kent Junior League
2015/16
U13 MAUVE SHIELD RUNNERS UP – South East London & Kent Junior League
U13 ORANGE SHIELD RUNNERS UP – South East London & Kent Junior League
2016/17
U11 LIME SHIELD WINNERS – South East London & Kent Junior League
2017/18
U12 PINK SHIELD RUNNER UP – South East London & Kent Junior League
2020/2021
U11 ORANGE SHIELD WINNERS – South East London & Kent Junior League
2021-2022
U12 C SILVER LEAGUE WINNERS South East London & Kent Junior League
U15 C SILVER LEAGUE WINNERS South East London & Kent Junior League
U14 PURPLE SHIELD RUNNERS UP South East London & Kent Junior League
PLAYERS FROM THE CLUB WHO HAVE SIGNED AS FULL PROFESSIONALS –
WESLEY REID Southwark Sports Junior FC ABERDEEN FC
CARL LEABURN Southwark Sports Junior FC CHARLTON FC
MICHAEL BENNETT Southwark Sports Junior FC CHARLTON FC
TONY DOLBY Southwark Sports Junior FC & MILLWALL FC
Dulwich Hamlet Junior FC
MICHAEL MISON Dulwich Hamlet Junior FC FULHAM FC
ADRIAN DEANE Dulwich Hamlet Junior FC CHARLTON FC
ZIDAN MIAH Dulwich Hamlet Junior FC FC DALLAS / RAYO VALLECANO FC
Junior Football Leagues that the Club Plays in or has Played in –
- South East London & Kent Junior Football League # CURRENT
- Bexley & District Junior Football League # **
- Shirley & District Junior Football League **
- Mercury & District Junior Football League **
- Balham Apollo Junior Football League **
- Southwark & District Junior Football League **
- Mitcham & District Football League **
- Norwood & District Junior Football League *
# Playing as Dulwich Hamlet Junior FC
** Playing as Southwark Sports Junior FC
* Playing as Falcon FC
Dulwich Hamlet Junior FC receiving the Chartered Standard County Award 2002/03 from Brian Miller (RIP) to Bernard Shannon (Chairman) and Ian Neal (Vice-Chairman) at West Ham Football Club on 19th August 2003 at the England U21 game against Croatia.