Founded in 1872, Saffron Walden Town are the oldest senior football club in Essex and reputedly the 18th oldest club in the world. Nicknamed The Bloods due to their red and black kit, the club has played at Catons Lane since 1890.

SWT were founder members of the Essex FA in 1882 and a founder member of the Essex Senior League in 1971. Over the decades, the club has experienced success across various non-league tiers, winning league titles in the ESL (1973–74, 1999–2000) and the Eastern Counties League (1982–83). They also enjoyed a 12-year stint in the Isthmian League during the 1980s and 1990s. In national competitions, their finest hour came in the 1990–91 season when they reached the fifth round of the FA Vase.

In 2012, fans voted to convert the club into a Community Benefit Society, establishing a supporter-owned structure.

After a nightmare start, losing 6-0 at home on the first day of the season, The Bloods have recovered well to win their last two games and leapfrog into the top half of the table.

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Former Oxford United, Dagenham & Redbridge, Cheltenham Town, Newport County and Barnet midfielder Sam Deering is now with The Bloods. Striker Ollie Miles is back at the club after a stint with Takeley, reunited with his brother, goalkeeper Coby.

Gates and bar will open for the game at 6.45pm ahead of kick off at 7.45pm.

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

However…. it’s just a 30 second walk down the Walter Tull Way if you want to arrive via Disraeli Road, (E7 9JT, lifted.paying.influencing) instead.

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

Standard: £5
Concessions: Pay what you can
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 you can for entry.

If you can afford it, however, please do pay the standard price.

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/Mildmay/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.

There are 12 bike stands inside the Upton Lane entrance and 3 just outside, creating parking for about 30 bicycles in total.

If those spaces are full, there are various fences and posts outside the entrance which can be used. If you can’t find anywhere else, please ask at the gates if you can bring your bike in. If there’s room – ie it’s not a particularly busy game – you may be able to.

There is no parking on site but there is free on-street parking on the streets around the Old Spotted Dog Ground.

The streets to the north and west of the Old Spotted Dog Ground (e.g. Disraeli Road and Margery Park Road) are in the Stratford North East controlled parking zone. Parking is free on Saturdays and Sundays and after 6.30pm on weeknights.

The streets to the east of the Old Spotted Dog Ground (e.g. the streets around Stratford Academy, St Anthony’s and St Bonaventure schools) are in the Green Street North and Upton Park controlled parking zones. Parking is free on Sundays and after 6.30pm on weeknights and Saturdays.

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.

The Clubhouse bar opens an hour before kick off and will remain open after the full-time whistle for a couple of hours with a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on sale.

On tap, we have three beers from Pretty Decent Brewery for £5 per pint – the Old Scaffold Daze IPA, the new Hair of the Dog lager and a cider.

Due to our licence, you can’t bring own booze in. If you have alcohol from elsewhere when you arrive, please hand it over at the gate. You will be given a ticket that you can show to collect it when you exit. 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 Clubhouse bar. If you’d rather keep the cup, you’re welcome to take it home instead.

If you already have a reusable cup, please do bring it in and we’ll serve your drink in that.

Hot drinks

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

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

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

Water

We have a tap to fill your water bottle on the left hand side of the Clubhouse bar.

We also have a water fountain on the front of the toilet block.

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

We usually have crisps, nuts, scampi fries and sweets on sale in the clubhouse.

We have an outside toilet block (pictured above) and toilets in the Clubhouse.

Inside the Clubhouse

• One toilet featuring two cubicles with shared handwashing
• One toilet featuring two urinals and one cubicle with shared handwashing
• One accessible toilet cubicle (RADAR key) with individual handwashing

Inside the toilet block

• Three individual cubicles with individual handwashing
• One accessible toilet cubicle (RADAR key) with individual handwashing
• Urinals at the back with shared handwashing

There are two accessible toilets, one in the clubhouse, one in the toilet block. These are opened with a RADAR key. If you don’t have one, you can ask at the bar or turnstile.

The site is now largely-step free including access to the bar and food stall.

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

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

We produce a small (four-page) printed programme for all competitive Women and Men’s First Team home games. Pick one up for free.

The programmes are also uploaded to the website after the game for those who could not make it. An 8-page programme is uploaded for Men’s First Team games.

You can also buy a bundle of six random printed programmes for £3 from our website.

Both cash and cards are accepted everywhere in the ground – entrance, bar, and food stall – except the merch stall, which is card only.

Paying cash at the entrance is 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 a new permanent collection point inside the ground.

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

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

We’re also collecting second hand football boots and kit going spare. These are donated to Newham-based charity Dost.

There’s a box in the Clubhouse where you can leave any donations.

The pitch needs a chance to recover from the summer drought. Therefore after taking advice from the grounds volunteers, the Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust has decided to temporarily reduce use of the pitch, including spectators going on to the pitch after games. The grounds volunteers will review the sitation again on September 3 – fingers crossed for rain.

Children are very welcome – including prams and pushchairs. We have baby changing facilities in the toilet block.

Please do supervise your children and make sure everyone is behind the perimeter fencing during games please.

It’s free entry for under 13s and pay what you can for teenagers, students, apprentices and low paid workers.

Spectators are welcome, in fact encouraged, to bring dogs to the OSD, but please keep on leads and behind the perimeter fence.

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.