Building a new fan-owned club, league titles, promotions and trophy wins for both men’s and women’s teams, and a record breaking run in the Women’s FA Cup; Clapton Community FC has seen some momentous occasions.

Sunday will see yet another as competitive football returns to the Old Spotted Dog – London’s oldest senior football ground – for the first time with our club as owners.

Years of hard work by our tireless groups of volunteers has got us here. It is a proud moment, and it is thanks to them and their efforts.

Book your tickets in advance here.

The opposition

Leatherhead Women’s FC were formerly the highly successful Mole Valley Girls u18s team. They joined the Leatherhead setup during the 2020-21 season.

Similar to Clapton Community FC, in May of this year they were selected for promotion to the London and South East Regional Women’s League, Division One North.

Their manager, Neil Harlow said “I am extremely proud of what we have achieved in our first full season together, this promotion is a fully deserved reward for all the players and their hard work. We know it will not be easy but we are looking forward to the challenge it poses. I would like to personally thank all the first team fans for supporting us at many games and hope we can gain even more support next season.”

This is the first meeting between the two teams. Leatherhead are currently in 8th place in the table, having only played twice in the league so far. They have one win and one defeat from their two fixtures before last weekend’s round of postponements.

However, they picked up an emphatic 8-0 victory away at Guildford City in the Women’s FA Cup First Round Qualifying last Sunday so are a force to be reckoned with. Their top scorers so far are Eva Keen and Meggie McLoughlin with 4 goals each.

Match Information

Clapton Community FC vs Leatherhead takes place at the Old Spotted Dog Ground, Forest Gate, at 2pm on Sunday 25th September 2022.

Spectator entry will be via the Disraeli Road gates only. The gates and the clubhouse bar will open from 1pm, with kickoff at 2pm, and the bar will remain open after the game. Old Dogs Disco will be DJing in the clubhouse bar after the game.

Book your ticket

Demand is expected to be high for this historic game and the capacity is strictly limited so all spectators including volunteers need to book a ticket please (except for dogs and children under 5).

Tickets are free, but need to be pre-booked via the online store here. Please make a donation at the entrance on the day if you can, we suggest £3 for wage adults.

There will be 450 tickets available to spectators and volunteers, including 28 tickets for the seats. We’re limiting orders to five tickets each.

Once booked, you’ll just need to make a note of your order number and the name the ticket/s were booked under to give at the match entrance.

If seats sell out and you need to sit, please book a standing ticket and mention at the entrance you’d like a seat and we will put out some chairs.

If you book but then later can’t make the game, please email comms@claptoncfc.co.uk so we can relist your ticket/s.

If any advanced tickets are unsold, or there are any returns, they will be put on the door on a first come first served basis

Food and drink

The Old Spotted Dog Ground bar is open from 1pm until well after kick off serving alcohol, soft drinks and hot drinks, plus bar snacks.

Fusion Foods will be selling hot and cold food – meat, veggie and vegan options – and accept cards or cash.

A mini programme will be available at the entrance, also free, but donations welcome.

Collection

Our friend and CCFC member Pedro has been seriously injured after being hit by a van that was travelling in a
wrong lane.

We are holding a one-off collection to help with his costs. If you can help, please donate at the game or on the JustGiving page.

Directions

The Old Spotted Dog ground is at 212 Upton Lane in Forest Gate, London E7 9NP.

Forest Gate station (Elizabeth Lane) and Wanstead Park (Overground) are 14 and 17 minutes’ walk away, Plaistow (District / Hammersmith & City) is 19 minutes’ walk, and Stratford (National Rail/Overground/Elizabeth/Jubilee/Central/DLR) is 28 minutes’ walk.

The District and Hammersmith & City lines will be closed between Plaistow and Upminster, with rail replacement bus services calling at stations between Plaistow and Upminster Bridge. Otherwise all lines are scheduled to be working fine.

There’s parking for bikes inside the Old Spotted Dog Ground too.

Parking is free on the streets to the north and west of the ground (e.g. Disraeli Rd) on Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays, parking is restricted on streets to the east and south of the ground (e.g. St George’s Rd and Upton Lane), but there are no restrictions on Sundays. Always check local signage for any changes. And if possible come by public transport, bike or walk.

More on directions and transport options here.