If you’re thinking of coming to watch a Clapton Community FC game for the first time… great choice and welcome! We’ve compiled a list of FAQs that might help you make the most of the game and hopefully become a regular.
We welcome everyone to the Old Spotted Dog Ground and we want to make sure you find your way and have everything you need to get the most out of your visit.
WHERE DO CLAPTON CFC PLAY GAMES?
Both our Women’s First Team and Men’s First Team play home games at our stadium, the Old Spotted Dog Ground. It is London’s oldest senior football ground and lies in Forest Gate in the borough of Newham in East London.
The address is Walter Tull Way, 212 Upton Lane, Forest Gate, London E7 9NP. The What 3 Words location for the Disraeli Road entrance is lifted.paying.influencing and for Upton Lane entrance is option.dark.limes
Our away games take place at various places across London and the South East. While obviously crowds are smaller at away games, particularly the far away ones, there is always a solid presence of CCFC fans at them, whether men’s or women’s first teams.
WHEN ARE CLAPTON CFC GAMES PLAYED?
All our fixtures are added to the website as soon as we receive them https://www.claptoncfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/.
Men’s First Team games are usually 3pm on Saturday afternoons and Women’s First Team games at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. There are also some midweek evening games this season.
The season roughly lasts from August to May, with pre-season friendlies in July.
HOW DO I GET TICKETS FOR CLAPTON CFC GAMES?
For most of our games, you do not need to book a ticket in advance, just turn up. However, on occasions when we need to put tickets on sale, they will appear on the Tickets page on our website.
Admission prices for the 2025/2026 season are:
- £5 – standard entry to all our competitive Women’s Men’s First Team home games
- Pay what you want – concessions
- Free – under 13s
A full list of concessions is here. No ID is required to qualify for concessions, we will take your word for it.
HOW DO I GET TO THE OLD SPOTTED DOG GROUND BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT?
Tube/rail
There are 7 stations, on umpteen different lines, within walking distance of the Old Spotted Dog Ground.
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)
WHERE CAN I PARK MY BIKE?
There’s space to leave your bikes inside the Old Spotted Dog Ground, next to the main stand. You can lock them to the fencing. Please don’t leave them locked to the pitch perimeter as it blocks the walkway.
We are currently working on plans for a better bike parking and locking system – watch this space.
WHERE CAN I PARK MY CAR?
We don’t have any car parking on the Old Spotted Dog Ground site itself.
However, parking is free on the streets to the north and west of the ground (e.g. Disraeli Road) on Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays, parking is restricted on streets to the east and south of the ground (e.g. St George’s Road and Upton Lane), but there are no restrictions on Sundays. Parking around the area should be free from 6.30pm for midweek games.
Always check local signage for any changes. And if possible come by public transport, bike or walk.
WHAT ARE THE GROUND RULES?
Clapton Community FC and the Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust are run by volunteers and strive to represent the diverse, working-class community that surrounds our historic grounds.
In order to create an atmosphere and environment which best serves our community, players and supporters, we kindly ask attendees to the Old Spotted Dog to take note of our ground rules.
They are slightly different to the rules you’ll see at other football grounds, so please do read them.
WHERE SHOULD I SIT OR STAND?
Wherever you like! If you want to sit, we have 100 seats in the covered main stand. It’s very rarely completely full, but if it’s a particularly big game you might want to get early to ensure you get a seat.
Otherwise you can stand anywhere around the perimeter fence on any of the four sides of the ground, ensuring paths are clear for people to walk around.
The other covered areas are the Scaffold terrace, and its neighbouring New Scaffold. If you’re heading right into the heart of the Scaffold, please be prepared to join in with the singing – many of them are easy to pick up, some of the songs are here on YouTube.
CAN I BRING MY CHILDREN?
Of course!
Prams and pushchairs are always very welcome at the OSD, but please avoid blocking walkways. Make sure all children are supervised and stay behind the perimeter fencing during games too please.
CAN I BRING MY DOG?
Of course! Spectators are welcome, in fact encouraged, to bring dogs to the OSD, but please keep on leads. It’s free entry for dogs.
WHAT FOOD IS AVAILABLE?
There is almost always a hot food concession at Women’s and Men’s First Team home games with meat, veggie and vegan options, and cash and cards accepted.
Please see individual match preview articles to find out which stall is attending but it’s usually either:
- Newham-based Fusion Foods, our most regular food stall, serving a variety of Indian & Middle Eastern inspired food, such as samosas and wraps
- Simply Moreish Flavours are a family-run Caribbean food business based in Forest Gate. Their menu includes curry mutton, jerk chicken, vegan curry, patties and burgers and fries.
We have bar snacks (crisps, nuts, scampi fries and bacon fries) in the clubhouse.
And you can bring your own food into the ground with you.
WHAT ALCOHOLIC DRINKS ARE AVAILABLE?
We usually have two beers on tap – at the time of writing it’s Pretty Decent Beer Co’s Gulp! Pilsner Lager and Old Scaffold Daze, their IPA brewed in collaboration with Clapton CFC. Pretty Decent is a local brewer, based in Forest Gate and Walthamstow.
Otherwise, we sell cans of Gulp!, Red Stripe, Cruzcampo and San Miguel lager, Thatcher’s Gold and Blood Orange cider, Pretty Decent’s Old Scaffold Daze and Greatest Love Story pale ale, Guinness and Guinness Zero etc. There’s also wine and spirits.
Please drink responsibly. The premises are licensed so we ask you not to bring your own alcohol into the OSD. The profits from the bar are invested in maintaining the grounds.
WHAT ABOUT NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS?
We have hot drinks (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, Bovril and Ovaltine) and water and squash at the bar. Please help yourself. There is no charge but if you can we ask you to put some change in the donation box (50p/£1) to cover the cost of the cup and drink.
You can buy soft drinks (cola, ginger beer, lemonade, apple juice, orange juice, bottled water) at the bar too. We also have Nirvana alcohol-free beers, brewed locally in Leyton.
CAN I BUY SOME MERCH?
Yes. We have a merch stall at nearly all Women’s and Men’s First Team home games which is open before the game, at half-time, and after the game. (If there is no stall, speak to the bar staff, they may be able to help).
We sell replica shirts, T-shirts, scarves, hats, caps, badges, most of which is also available online on our store.
DO YOU ISSUE PRINTED PROGRAMMES?
Yes we do! We issue a printed programme for every Women’s and Men’s First Team home game. They also eventually go online here.
You can pick up a programme from the entrance. They are free to take, but a £1 donation is encouraged to cover the printing costs.
WHAT TOILETS ARE AT THE GROUND?
There are toilets in the Clubhouse – cubicles, urinals and an accessible toilet.
A new toilet block has been built near to the seated stand.
CAN I GO ON THE PITCH?
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. In good weather, kids can also have a run around and a kickabout on the pitch after the game, but not when it’s muddy, please.
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.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions before your visit, feel free to reach out to us by email comms@claptoncfc.co.uk
If you have any further questions on the day, look for anyone wearing a pink hi-viz vest or the bar staff who will be happy to answer.