Dulwich Hamlet FC has announced they are supporting our campaign to end all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football.
Our campaign has already won the support of several MPs, including Ronnie Cowan of the Scottish National Party, together with Labour’s Carolyn Harris, Paul Blomfield, Zarah Sultana and Dawn Butler. Several football clubs, including Billericay Town, Lewes, Forest Green Rovers and Edinburgh City have also declared their support for our campaign.
Rob Hyneman, Community Lead at Dulwich Hamlet FC, said:
“Dulwich Hamlet FC is delighted to be partnering with The Big Step. Responsible advertising in the sports industry is something we are keen to widen the conversation about. Whether it’s junk food or betting, neither have a place in a sports arena where thousands come to watch their heroes each week. DHFC has already had a strong anti-gambling stance and this partnership fits perfectly with the club’s ethos.”
DHFC’s support comes at a time when pressure is mounting on the Government to make tangible changes to existing legislation during their current review of the 2005 Gambling Act, with reports saying a gambling shirt sponsorship ban is almost certain.
James Grimes, Founder of The Big Step and formerly addicted to gambling said:
“We are thrilled to have the support of a progressive and community-driven club like Dulwich Hamlet. This is further acceptance of the harm caused by gambling ads in football and if reports are to be believed it’s looking like shirt sponsorship will be banned. But we must go further, and this is why this support from DHFC is pivotal and timely. For most of us involved with The Big Step, the harmful relationship between gambling and football was the gateway for years of addiction – if only our clubs had taken this stance, things may have been different for us.”
Walking Toward Change
To celebrate the new partnership, we are holding an event on Saturday 9th October in London. Representatives from The Big Step will be walking from Selhurst Park, the London Stadium and the Brentford Community Stadium to Champion Hill, were Dulwich Hamlet play Billericay Town at 3pm. Billericay Town also support our campaign, so the event, which falls during an international break, is called ‘Walking Toward Change’.
We are encouraging as many people as possible to join the walks and even have a limited number of free tickets to the Dulwich game available for walkers. To sign up, simply fill in the form on our events page.