"Freundschaft"

Sometimes things happen by accident
Or is it meant to be fate
Meeting by luck or chance
Where a stranger becomes a mate.
An ice cold frozen November
A few hundred in the ground
The snow-covered Adolf-Jager-Kampfbahn
Was the groundhop found.
A welcoming fanzine seller
Who went by the name of Jan
And from that little acorn
Grew this weekend's plan.
It feels like I've got a new family
So much love from Altona 93
Who've embraced Dulwich Hamlet strangers
Including you and me.
This trip shouldn't happen
Something our Club couldn't afford
All of our supporters dug deep
Everyone on board.
Over three years of planning
Untold people mucking in
I can't really say Thank You
I don't know where to begin.
But one thing I do know
When I thought my endeavours would fail
I was always strengthened by my faith
In the spirits of Adolf Jager and Edgar Kail.
Even if I live to be a hundred
Nothing will beat Dulwich Hamlet playing here
So if you see me dabbing myself with a tissue
Please excuse me for shedding a tear.

Dulwich Poet 17th June 2018

( After over three years of fundraising, in less than a month Dulwich Hamlet will be going to Hamburg for a two game pre-season tour, all team expenses for the trip raised by the fans. The trip would not have been possible with that, and it celebrates the friendship and the 125th anniversary of both Dulwich Hamlet and our close friends Altona 93)