Clapton C.F.C.
Fan-owned club based at The Old Spotted Dog in Forest Gate.
via Wikipedia: Clapton C.F.C. · see source
Clapton Community Football Club is a fan-owned members football club based in Forest Gate, London. The men's team competes in the Eastern Counties League, while the women's team plays in the London and South East Women's Regional Football League Division One North. Both teams play at The Old Spotted Dog.
Quick Facts
- Club
- Clapton
- Full name
- Clapton Community Football Club
- Founded
- 27 January 2018
- Ground
- The Old Spotted Dog Ground, Forest Gate
- Capacity
- 2,000 (100 seated)
- Manager
- Alice Sharpe (women's team); Geoff Ocran (men's team)
- League
- ClaptonC
- Season
- ClaptonC2
Facts from the source article.
History
The club was formed on 27 January 2018 by supporters of Clapton F.C. who were disillusioned with chairman Vince McBean's management. In its debut season, 11,500 away shirts were sold, including 5,500 to Spain, after the kit was based on the International Brigades and the Flag of the Second Spanish Republic. In April 2019, CE Júpiter hosted Clapton in a friendly celebrating the Spanish Republican spirit, with both clubs committed to anti-fascism and working class identity. On 11 May 2019, Clapton won the Middlesex County League Division One (Central and East) with a 3–0 win against FC Roast, gaining promotion to the Premier Division. The club entered the FA Vase for the first time in 2019–20. In June 2019, a women's team was formed from the former AFC Stoke Newington first team, competing in Division One of the Greater London Women's Football League in 2019–20 and later promoted to the London and South East Women's Regional Football League Division One North in 2021–22. During the October 2020 Polish protests, the women's team expressed solidarity with protesters by posing next a banner dedicated to women's rights, which was noticed by Polish media. The original club withdrew before the 2024–25 season, leaving Clapton CFC as the district's primary club. In May 2025, they defeated Forest Hill Park in the SCEFL Division One Cup final. After a previous unsuccessful appeal, the club transferred back to the Eastern Counties League for 2025–26. In February 2025, a Men's Over 35s team was established, joining the Essex Veterans League and finishing third in Division Three (West) in its inaugural 2025/2026 season.
Ground
Both the women's and men's first teams play at The Old Spotted Dog in Forest Gate. On 17 September 2019, Clapton Community was awarded the lease after Clapton FC's eviction, and on 24 July 2020, the club purchased the freehold. From 2022, the women's first team used the ground with changing rooms at Stratford School; after purchasing an adjacent warehouse and renovating old changing rooms, the men's first team also began playing there. Youth teams train at the ground. The men's development team, women's development team, and women's open access team usually play at Hackney Marshes, while five-a-side teams play at Mabley Green in Hackney.
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