Dulwich Hamlet appeal fine and points penalty – with chairman Ben Clasper confident that next campaign will have a positive outcome

Dulwich Hamlet chairman Ben Clasper is “optimistic” that the 2021-22 National League South season will be able to take place with fans in attendance.

The Champion Hill club have appealed their £8,000 fine and suspended points deduction for not playing matches in February – the same month league bosses eventually declared the campaign null and void due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dulwich are due to find out next week if the punishment has been upheld.

But Clasper is far more confident that next season will be able to be completed. Their first competitive match is due to be August 14 with their friendlies due to start on July 10.

He has met again with manager Gavin Rose, pictured right, this week to flesh out more of their plans.

The government is due to lift the final lockdown measures on June 21, but that will be based on data.

“We are waiting for the league to tell us what their plans are should the ‘no restrictions’ on June 21 not happen,” said Clasper. “I assume if the government ploughs on then it is all systems go and we may even be looking at a season that is as close to normal as we can expect. That would be wonderful.

“It’s probably going to go government, FA, league, local councils in terms of the instructions we are going to get.

“If the government does delay [lifting the lockdown] by two weeks, which is what I’ve heard, then that would still be before our pre-season starts. It wouldn’t be hugely impactful.

“The league assure me they are working on a scenario, but aren’t willing to publish it yet.

“We’re working on the same timetable as we usually would. We are starting conversations with players for next year. The contracts will start at the start of the published season and we hope there will be some fans.

“The only thing we’re really concerned about is the halfway house – you can open, but you can’t open. That is one hand tied behind your back.

“The play-offs going on at the moment are at 25 per cent capacity – that’s a problem for us. It’s a concern because it won’t be a problem for most other clubs at our level, whose average attendance is not in excess of 25 per cent of their capacity.

“The risk for Dulwich Hamlet is that we get bounced into a season with our matchday commercial model, but operating on 25 per cent. Other clubs will say: ‘That’s fine, we only get 500 people’.

“I talk to Gavin about this all the time. We spent a year looking over our shoulder and not doing anything until we knew where we stood. We’re definitely going in with a different mindset.

“Now it is going to be ‘let’s just plan and plough on – if someone pulls the rug from under you, you did the best you could and it was out of your control’. If they pulled the rug from under you, they were going to do that anyway.

“You might as well go into it with a positive mindset and hope things come back to normal, over time.”

Dulwich had their appeal hearing on their sanctions on Monday.

“That is going to be a financial suckerpunch or a relief,” said Clasper. “But I’m far more optimistic than I was last year. Then I genuinely felt the league was sleepwalking into a black hole, and unfortunately that was proven right.

“Now we have got a positive outlook. Let’s commit and do our best.”