Clapton Football Club is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club in east

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. One of the most successful clubs in

non-League football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

during the first quarter of the twentieth century, they won the FA Amateur Cup five times between 1907 and 1925 and had several players selected by the

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

national team. In 2019 they were evicted from their long-time home,

the Old Spotted Dog Ground The Old Spotted Dog Ground in Forest Gate is the oldest senior football ground in London. Clapton Community FC the fan-owned club purchased the ground in June 2020, having been initially awarded the lease. The previous tenants Clapton FC ...

Forest Gate Forest Gate is a district of West Ham in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England. It is located northeast of Charing Cross. The area's name relates to its position adjacent to Wanstead Flats, the southernmost part of Epping Forest. ...

. After playing at other grounds for several seasons, they withdrew from the non-League pyramid at the end of the 2023–24 season.

History

Established in 1877 under the name Downs Football Club and initially based at Hackney Downs in Lower Clapton, the club originally played in dark blue shirts and white shorts, with a distinctive white

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...

on the left breast. The following year the club adopted its current name.Back in Time
Clapton F.C. Clapton began competing in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

in 1888–89, and in 1890 became the first club from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

to play in continental Europe, defeating a Belgian XI 7–0 in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

In 1894 Clapton became founder members of the Southern League, alongside

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...

and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, and were placed in Division One. Finishing eighth in a nine-club league they were forced to play a test match to avoid relegation to Division Two, defeating Sheppey United 5–1. The following season saw them finish eighth again, but despite winning the test match against the 1st Scots Guards, the club resigned from the league as several of the other clubs turned professional. The 1904–05 season saw Clapton reach the final of the

FA Amateur Cup The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status. History Following the legalisation of professionalism within footb ...

for the first time, losing 3–2 to

West Hartlepool West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland. The former town was originally formed ...

. The following season they became founder members of the

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

, finishing as runners-up in its inaugural season. They won the FA Amateur Cup in 1906–07, defeating Stockton 2–1 in the final. In 1908–09, they won the Amateur Cup again with a 6–0 win against Eston United. The 1910–11 season saw them win their first Isthmian League title, and in 1914–15 the club won a third Amateur Cup with a 1–0 victory over

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...

in the final. Clapton won another Isthmian League title in 1922–23. The following season saw them win their fourth Amateur Cup, defeating Erith & Belvedere 3–0 in the final. They went on to retain their title as Amateur Cup holders the following season, beating Southall FC 2–1 at the Old Den. In the same season, three Clapton players were selected for the

national team. In 1925–26 the club reached the third round of the

after wins against

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...

and

Ilford Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...

in the first and second round. They were eventually knocked out, losing 3–2 at 'home' to

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

, a match that was played at

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

Boleyn Ground Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium in Upton Park, London, Upton Park, east London, England. It was the home of West Ham United F.C., West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic ...

and drew a crowd of 27,000. The club would go on to reach the first round of the FA Cup again in 1926–27, 1927–28 and 1957–58, losing to

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

and

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

respectively. In 1975–76 Clapton finished bottom of Division One of the Isthmian League, dropping down to Division Two, which was renamed Division One in 1977. At the end of the 1981–82 season they were relegated to Division Two, but bounced back at the first time of asking as champions. The club won the Essex Senior Cup for a third time in 1984, but were relegated again at the end of the 1984–85 season, dropping into Division Two North. In 1991 the club was placed in Division Three after league reorganisation, which later became Division Two due to further reorganisation. In 2005–06 Clapton finished in bottom of the league for the second consecutive season, and subsequently joined the Essex Senior League after Division Two was disbanded. In 2015–16 Clapton won the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy, beating Stansted 4–0 in the final. After finishing second-from-bottom of the Essex Senior League in 2022–23, the club were relegated to Division One South of the Eastern Counties League. They were due to be transferred to Division One of the Southern Counties East League for the 2024–25 season, but withdrew from the league on 18 June.

Ground

Clapton originally played on pitches at Hackney Downs, before moving to North Millfield in Lower Clapton in 1880. The club then briefly played at Elm Farm and Pilgrims Road and then relocated to

in 1887 after it was vacated by St Bartholomew's Hospital. The first match at the new ground was played on 29 September 1888, a 1–1 draw with Old Carthusians in front of a crowd of 700. During the 2001–02 Isthmian League season, Clapton spent the entire season playing away from the Old Spotted Dog due to the club's failure to undertake the Isthmian League's required ground improvements. Clapton played the majority of their home fixtures at

Aveley Aveley is a village and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England, and forms one of the traditional Church of England parishes. Aveley is 16 miles (26.2 km) east of Charing Cross. In the 2021 United King ...

's Mill Field ground, as well as groundsharing with

Purfleet Purfleet-on-Thames is a town in the Thurrock unitary authority, Essex, England. It is bordered by the A13 road to the north and the River Thames to the south and is within the easternmost part of the M25 motorway but just outside the Greater ...

, Barking & East Ham United,

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

and Hertford Town. Clapton eventually returned to the Old Spotted Dog in 2003. In the opening weeks of the 2019–20 season, Clapton, and fellow tenants

Hackney Wick Hackney Wick is a neighbourhood in East London, England. The area forms the south-eastern part of the district of Hackney, and also of the wider London Borough of Hackney. Adjacent areas of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, namely Fish I ...

, were forced to vacate the Old Spotted Dog due to non-payment of rent by the leaseholders, Newham Community Leisure Trust Limited, a charity in which Clapton FC 'Chief Executive' was a Trustee/Director. During Clapton's exile, they played at Redbridge's Oakside Stadium and Aveley's new Parkside ground. On 17 September 2019 it was confirmed that Clapton had not been awarded a lease to remain at the Old Spotted Dog, with breakaway club Clapton Community winning the lease bid. On 12 November 2019, it was announced Clapton would groundshare with Southend Manor at Southchurch Park for the remainder of the season. In July 2020 it was confirmed that Clapton would play at the Terence McMillan Stadium in Plaistow for the forthcoming season.

Supporters

During Clapton's peak in the late 19th century, the club averaged a regular home crowd of 4,000 spectators. During this period, the club were nicknamed the Doggies after their relocation to Forest Gate. In 2012 a supporters group named the Clapton Ultras was started. The group followed the European

ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are known for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tendency ...

tradition and developed around local fans disengaged with modern professional football, migrants to

east London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

and those with an opposition to discrimination and

far-right politics Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and Nativism (politics), nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on ...

. Following the creation of the Ultras, the club's home attendances rose from an average of 20 in 2011–12 to 335 by the 2015–16 season. Two clubs have refused to admit Clapton fans for their matches: Southend Manor and Metropolitan Police. In July 2017, supporters won a high court injunction against Clapton chief executive Vincent McBean, who had attempted to liquidate Newham Community Leisure Limited, the charity that held the lease on the Old Spotted Dog ground. After Clapton discontinued their reserve and youth teams, in 2016 Clapton supporters founded Downs Football Club with the club name, badge and kit all in homage to the original Downs Football Club of 1878. In 2018 some supporters formed a breakaway fan-owned club under the name of Clapton Community, joining the Middlesex County League for the 2018–19 season, playing at Wadham Lodge.Clapton FC Fans form new Community club
North Kent Non League, 14 June 2018 After Clapton Community were promoted to the Eastern Counties League in 2023, the two clubs played each other for the first time in October 2023.

Honours

*Isthmian League **Champions 1910–11, 1922–23 **Division Two champions 1982–83 *Essex Senior League **Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy winners 2016 *FA Amateur Cup **Winners 1906–07, 1908–09, 1914–15, 1923–24, 1924–25 *

London Senior Cup The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of ...

**Winners 1888–89, 1908–09, 1910–11 * Essex Senior Cup **Winners 1890–91, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1954–55, 1983–84 *

Middlesex Senior Cup The Middlesex Senior Cup is the most prestigious football cup competition in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex, England. The competition is run mainly for non-League clubs in the region, although league clubs have ...

**Winners 1888–89 *Essex Senior Trophy **Winners 1988–89 *Essex Thames Side Trophy **Winners 1982–83, 1983–84 *AFA Invitational Cup **Winners 1965–66, 1970–71 (shared) *

London Charity Cup The London Charity Cup was one of the London Football Association's cup competitions. History The London FA previously ran three senior cup competitions, the London Challenge Cup, the London Senior Cup (known also as the London Senior Amateur C ...

**Winners 1898–99, 1899–1900, 1901–02, 1902–03, 1923–24 *

West Ham Charity Cup The West Ham Charity Cup was an annual amateur Association football, football tournament which was contested by teams from West Ham and the surrounding area, an area of Essex that is now part of London. Only players that lived locally were eligibl ...

**Winners 1889–90, 1903–04, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1922–23, 1924–25, 1925–26 *London Junior Cup **Winners 1887–88, 1892–93, 1907–08 *London County Amateur Cup **Winners 1908–09, 1909–10, 1910–11 *Liege Tournament **Joint Winners 1923–24 *Worthing Charity Cup **Winners 1926–27 *W J Collins Trophy **Winners 1968–69 *Visitors' Trophy **Joint Winners 1968–69 *Lee Rackett Memorial Trophy **Winners 1972–73, 1984–85 *John Ullman Trophy **Winners 1990–91 *Ilford Hospital Cup **Winners 1908–09

Records

*Best

performance: Third round, 1925–26 *Best

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...

performance: Second qualifying round, 1980–81, 1983–84 *Best

FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...

performance: Second round, 1989–90, 1992–93, 2003–04 *Record attendance: 12,000 vs

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

, FA Cup, 1898–99.Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012), ''Non-League Club Directory 2013'', p660

References

External links

* {{coord, 51.519818, N, 0.036656276, E, display=title Football clubs in England Football clubs in London Association football clubs established in 1877 1877 establishments in England Sport in the London Borough of Newham Forest Gate South Essex League Southern Football League clubs Isthmian League clubs Eastern Counties Football League Essex Senior Football League