Some of you may recognise Nick (pictured above) and his story. We tweeted about the campaign to save him from deportation back in November last year. Here it is in his own words.
Becoming a member of Clapton CFC has been an amazing experience for me. I was recently deported from Canada for things I did and believed in my past. I had to leave my daughters behind as they still have to finish school.
A large part of my younger life was spent in hate groups but I’ve been out of them for 16 years now. I received so much love and support from CCFC fans after an online campaign was started to recognise how I’ve changed and help keep me and my family together.
People who at one time would have seemed like natural enemies have shown me and my family nothing but kindness, understanding and love.
Coming to my first game I was made to feel at home instantly, I loved the family friendly atmosphere, there’s a real sense of community and love.
Everyone is welcome even someone with my past. The fans have seen me for who I am now and not who I was, something for which I’ll forever be grateful.
The foodbank collections at each game are something very close to my heart too, I did lots of work with the homeless in Chilliwack, Canada and it’s amazing to see the donation boxes fill up at each game.
The atmosphere at CCFC games reminds me of the game I fell in love with as a young kid before all of the money came in and changed the sport.
I’ll always be a member of Clapton Community now, I wear my shirt and scarf with pride and will forever be a Ton. Love to everyone at the club
Nick and family
Dave Clinch
I first heard about Clapton CFC via the club’s now famous away shirt. Commemorating the end of the Spanish Civil War with the ‘No Pasarán’ International Brigades shirt was a brilliant idea. It also made me curious about the way that Clapton Community Football Club was organised.
For me it’s about more than football. When we emigrated from Dublin in 1957 I was six years old. We moved to Tottenham in 1959 or 60. Tottenham is my other team, since then. They could learn much from Clapton CFC.
I taught Physical Education in two Lewisham secondary schools for twenty years. I never saw a separation between sport and daily life.
This led me to find out more about Clapton Community FC and inspired me to join and get my own International Brigades Away Shirt.
The club is about genuine community, actively anti-racist and also for LGBTQ+ and other important areas of life such as supporting the local food bank and also the Stansted Fifteen. I’ve since bought the First Team shirt!
I’m working on making it to one of the home games in April. I’ve fallen on my feet with Clapton CFC on so many levels!
I think the club is such an inspiration, your ethos is very much what I believed in as an educator. “What do they know of football, who only football know” to loosely paraphrase CLR James.
