Frenford was founded as a boy’s club in 1928 by Jack Carter – who their ground in Ilford is named after. The senior football section began in the war years, playing in local leagues until joining the Essex Olympian League in 1995. In 2018 the Eastern Counties Football League Division One South was formed and they successfully applied to join. In 2022/23 they won the title and promotion to the Essex Senior Football League, where they’ve been since. Over the past 10 years Frenford has developed its Youth and Women’s section and now has a record 30 teams across all sections.

After finishing second bottom last season, Frenford were reprieved from relegation due to other clubs folding. The comparison this season is startling. A new coaching team arrived in the summer, consisting of joint managers ex-Sporting Bengal manager Imrul Gazi and midfielder Steven Carvell, and they currently sit joint top.

We’ve not played competitively before, but we met in a friendly in the summer which ended 0-0.

As well as Carvell – expect Briggsy-style dead ball deliveries – there’s top scorer Christan Gyamfi, formerly of Concord Rangers, Romford and Clapton FC.

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

Entry will be via Upton Lane, next to the Spotted Dog pub. 212 Upton Lane, E7 9NP (What3Words: option.dark.limes).

It’s only a short walk from the other entrance though on Disraeli Road, E7 9JT, (What3Words: lifted.paying.influencing).

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 for an hour or so after the full-time whistle.

On tap, we have four beers for £5 per pint – the Pretty Decent Brewery Old Scaffold Daze IPA, the new Pretty Decent Brewery 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.

Heart of Humanity will also be with us selling food and other items raising money for a water tank in Gaza.

We usually have Tayto 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 going spare.

These are donated to Newham-based charity Dost for their young people – size 6 and over please.

Smaller boots are donated to player Jeff Twumasi’s Soulmates Africa initiative.

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

During the game, everyone (kids and adults) needs to stay behind the fence and aware of the risk of being hit by a ball. 

Nobody should come on the pitch at half-time either.

For games until November, children can play on the pitch after the game once the officials and players have left the field. Adults should only be on there to supervise a child and nobody should take any drinks onto the playing surface.

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.

We have a limited run of CCFC dog bandanas on sale on the merch stall.

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.