Denham United formed in 1998 and are the largest all female club in the south east of England. They have an impressive number of teams across a large age range and their own ground, The Den, in Uxbridge. They spent eight seasons in the FA Women’s National League Division 1 South, two levels above, before dropping back down to the sixth tier.

Denham have had a superb season and will definitely finish above us whatever happens today. They recently beat third placed Leatherhead 6-1 and only lost 1-0 to Bromley despite being down to 10 players.

We’ve won all 5 league meetings so far – though lost in our only cup meeting. It was a 3-2 away earlier this season thanks to goals from Egle Trezzi, Emily Link and Rebekah Higgins. Last season we won 3-0 away and 2-0 at home, but lost 5-4 in the League Cup. The previous season, it was a 2-0 win away then 4-1 in our first competitive win at the Old Spotted Dog Ground.

Last season’s top scorer Jenny Nagle –  who scored twice against us – has 19 so far this time. Teenage striker Sofia Harris is not far behind with 14 goals after breaking into the first team. 

Gates open at 1pm for a 2pm kick-off.

Spectator entry is via the Upton Lane turnstiles, next to the Spotted Dog pub. 212 Upton Lane, E7 9NP (What3Words: option.dark.limes).

However…. the alleyway has reopened so it’s just a 30 second walk if you want to arrive via Disraeli Road instead.

No tickets are needed, just turn up and pay at the turnstiles.

Admission for Women’s First Team games is by donation, with a suggested £5 for waged adults, but any amount or none at all is fine. 

Suggested donation for Women’s First Team games: £5
Concessions: Pay what you want
Under 13s: Free 

Concessions include: 

• Clapton CFC members 
• Newham residents 
• Teenagers (13 to 19)
• Over 60s
• Students and apprentices
• Trade union members
• Unemployed people and those on low income
• People with disabilities and health conditions 
• Refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants 

The concessions option is available to anyone who needs it. No ID is required to qualify for concessions, we will take your word for it. At the turnstile, just say that you are a concession (you don’t need to say which) and pay what what you want for entry.

If you can afford it, however, please do pay the £5 standard suggested donation.

There are 7 stations, on umpteen different lines, within walking distance of the Old Spotted Dog.

• Forest Gate (Elizabeth) – 14 minutes’ walk
• Wanstead Park (Suffragette) – 17 minutes’ walk
• Plaistow (District/Hammersmith & City) – 19 minutes’ walk
• Upton Park (District/Hammersmith & City) – 19 minutes’ walk
• Maryland (Elizabeth) – 22 minutes’ walk
• Abbey Road (DLR) – 26 minutes’ walk
• Stratford (National Rail/Overground/Elizabeth/Jubilee/Central/DLR) – 28 minutes’ walk

Buses

These bus services stop on Upton Lane (St Georges Road stop or Stratford School stop, 4 minutes’ walk away)

325 (from East Beckton or Prince Regent)
678 (From Beckton or Stratford)

These bus services stop on Romford Road (Disraeli Road stop, 7 minutes’ walk away).

25 (from City of London or Ilford)
86 (from Stratford or Romford)
425 (from Lower Clapton or Ilford)

These bus services stop on Woodgrange Road (Claremont Road or Romford Road stops, 11 minutes’ walk away).

58 (from Walthamstow or East Ham)
330 (from Forest Gate or Silvertown)

Here are some even more detailed directions.

You can lock your bike on the fencing near to the main stand. However, there is less space at the moment due to the building works on the toilets. So if you can park your bike before arriving, please do so.

We are currently working on plans for a better bike parking and locking system – watch this space.

There is no parking on site.

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.

London’s oldest senior football ground has one of the best bars around, too. We have a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on sale, including…

On tap

• Old Scaffold Daze, our own IPA made by Pretty Decent Brewery – £5
• Gulp Lager, a pilsner from Pretty Decent Brewery – £5

Cans

• Red Stripe, Cruzcampo and San Miguel lagers – £2.50
• Guinness and Guinness Zero is back in stock – hurrah £3
• No/low-alcohol beers from Leyton-based Nirvana Brewery – £3
• Guest beers from Queer Brewing in Leyton, a queer and trans-owned brewery. They donate 10p from every beer to a LGBTQ+ charity.

Due to our licence, we ask that you don’t bring your own booze in. The profits from the bar are invested in maintaining and improving the grounds.

Returnable pint and half-pint cups

The Clubhouse has ditched single use plastic and switching to returnable pint and half-pint cups.

Just pay a £2 deposit, which is refunded when you return the cup to the bar. If you’d rather keep the cup, you’re welcome to take it home.

Hot drinks

We have coffee, tea, hot chocolate and Bovril in the Clubhouse on a ‘help yourself’ basis.

We’re introducing a small charge for disposable hot drink cups in the Clubhouse – with all proceeds going towards maintaining the Old Spotted Dog Ground.

If you need a cup, buy one at the bar for £1 then refill it as many times as you like. There’s no charge if you bring your own reusable cup.

Please make sure any children using the water heater are supervised.

Water

We also have water at the bar, please help yourself. If you want a water bottle filled, you can hand it over at the bar and we will fill it up from the tap.

Outside, Fusion Foods will be selling hot and cold food – meat, veggie and vegan options.

We have Pipers crisps, nuts, scampi fries and bacon fries on sale in the clubhouse.

You can also bring in your own food if you wish.

Work to build an extra outside toilet block has just begun.

In addition to the indoor loos in the clubhouse, we have four outdoor portakabins to reduce queues.

The merch stall is open before the game, at half-time, and after the game. The stall can be found inside the Clubhouse, on the stage.

Most of the merch is also available to buy online on our store page.

We produce a printed programme for all competitive Women and Men’s First Team home games.

They are free to pick up but donations are welcome. If 50 or so people donate £1 each game, that will cover our printing costs.

The programmes are also uploaded to the website after the game for those who could not make it. You can also buy a bundle of six random programmes for £3 from our website.

Either is fine. Cash and cards are accepted everywhere in the ground – entrance, bar, merch stall and food stall.

However, paying cash at the entrance will be speedier for all, so if you can bring the right money in hard currency, we would appreciate it.

The hygiene bank collection is back at all home games, with the collection box at the entrance.

Our charity partners Magpie Project support mums and young children in temporary accommodation. They need:

● Toothpaste ● Toothbrush ● Shower gel ● Shampoo ● Deodorant ● Sanitary towel

The Grounds committee request all spectators keep off the pitch before games and at half-time. They need to carry out safety pitch inspections before play begins, which are voided if people have gone on the pitch.

After a game, in good weather, kids can have a run round and a kickabout on the pitch, but no adults please.

Prams and pushchairs are always very welcome at the OSD, but please avoid blocking walkways. Make sure all children are behind the perimeter fencing during games too please.

If/when Clapton CFC wins a game, children are invited to join the players in their post-match celebration on the side of the pitch. After a game, in good weather, kids can have a run round and a kickabout on the pitch, but no adults please.

Spectators are welcome, in fact encouraged, to bring dogs to the OSD, but please keep on leads. It’s free entry for dogs.

If you have any further questions, look for anyone wearing a pink hi-viz vest or the bar staff who will be happy to answer.