Community events cancelled due to power outage – but games are on
The Old Spotted Dog clubhouse is still without mains power. Until we’re reconnected, all community events are sadly off – Newham U3A, Shoulder to Shoulder, London Renters Union and Clapton Punks’ Self-Defence Club.
Additionally, the Save Prosfygika benefit gig has been moved to a new venue – details below.
The generator remains in place so all first team competitive games can continue even while the power is off, but due to the loud volume it is being used sparingly for the sake of the neighbours.
New mural at the Old Spotted Dog Ground to mark Cable Street 90th anniversary
Not then, not now – we’re proud to unveil our a new mural at the Old Spotted Dog Ground, created in partnership with Unite to mark 90 years since the Battle of Cable Street.
The mural features an historic image of anti-fascist demonstrators gathered behind a wooden street barricade in East London on 4 October 1936.
Chalked on the barricade are the words “Remember Olympia” and “They Shall Not Pass” — a powerful reminder of the resistance that brought thousands of East Londoners together to oppose fascism.
Ninety years ago, dockers, local families and communities stood shoulder to shoulder to stop a fascist march through their streets. Today, that same spirit of solidarity and collective resistance remains an important part of our community.
A huge thank you to Unite, to Calvin of Ruff Draft Design for his brilliant work painting the mural, and to everyone who joined us at our matches last weekend for a first look.
Here are some of the photos.
New events calendar covering what’s on at the Old Spotted Dog Ground
Thanks to our fantastic website volunteers, the Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust now has an events calendar.
From weekly community sessions with to one-off events like comedy and book talks, there’s a lot happening at the OSD even when there are no games on.
Visit the What’s On page to see what public events are coming up in the weeks and months ahead.
Stout now on tap plus mulled wine and Oktoberfest special
As autumn creeps in, we are launching our newest tap line – Fast Gary Superior Stout, brewed by Pressure Drop, just down the road in Tottenham.
It’s a 4.6% smooth and easy drinking stout, which we think will go down a treat on matchdays. Currently available on draft only, on the main bar.
We’re also bringing back mulled cider to the menu from Tuesday’s match!
Tuesday also sees the launch of Pretty Decent’s Oktoberfest special Forestgatebier, which we will have available in cans. A juicy, 5.2% hazy pale – once they’re gone, they’re gone.
This Saturday we will be trialling our outside can bar in a new location by the Disraeli Road gate. Come and say hi to Paolo and get your cans near the Scaffold.
David Rosenberg in conversation with Michael Rosen at the OSD clubhouse
There was a great Newham Bookshop event at the Old Spotted Dog Ground clubhouse last night helping to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street.
David Rosenberg was in conversation with Michael Rosen to mark the thoroughly updated third edition of David’s popular and radical guide to London, Rebel Footprints, which features four new chapters. It was a sell-out event with 50 books sold and signed too.
There’s a second event at the OSD with Newham Bookshop coming up around the Cable Street anniversary. On Wednesday, October 7, author Daniel Trilling will be in conversation with Aamna Mohdin, discussing his important new book, If We Tolerate This: How the British establishment made the far right respectable.
Sunday, October 4 is the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street, when working class Londoners stopped Oswald Mosley’s fascists marching through the East End.
On the day, there will be a march meeting noon outside Tower Hamlets Town Hall. Bring union banners, flags and all your friends.
Use your skills to help improve London’s oldest senior football ground
The Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust’s main job is looking after and improving Clapton CFC’s biggest asset – its ground.
Our day to day work is covered by bar takings and rental, but larger projects require fundraising. Recent examples of this include the toilet block and the new, wider pathways in the ground.
There is so much more that we would like to develop. That is why the Trust has set up a Finance & Fundraising Working Group to more effectively coordinate how we raise money and how we spend it on major improvements to the ground.
Our three priorities are:
– Bringing the warehouse into community use
– Recruiting a community development worker
– Adapting the Old Spotted Dog Ground to survive future climate change
The new Working Group is open to anyone who cares about the Old Spotted Dog Ground and wants to help with raising funds, developing projects, set targets and working out how this all fits together.
Meetings will be online and in-person, with 60% of meetings taking place at the ground. The commitment we are asking for is to volunteer to get involved in the fundraising of one of three strands outlined above.
We are aiming for the first (in-person) meeting in mid September. If you would like to get involved, please email kevinb@oldspotteddog.org
Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust Trustees Meetings in 2026
At our recent meeting, OSDGT trustees agreed to a clearer, more regular schedule for trustees’ meetings in 2026.
Trustees will meet on Monday evenings, 7-9pm, approximately every eight weeks. We’re also committing to at least two in-person meetings during the year. The aim is to improve transparency, provide more notice of meetings, and make it easier for members to follow and engage with OSDGT’s work.
Trustees’ meetings are open to observers. If you’re a member – or a local resident – who’s interested in how OSDGT works, or are considering becoming a trustee in the future, you’re very welcome to attend as an observer.
We’re keen to broaden the mix of skills, experience, and perspectives on the board.
We’d particularly welcome people who can commit to attending meetings regularly; take responsibility for specific tasks or areas of work; contribute skills in finance, governance, community engagement, communications, fundraising, or hands-on project work.
Enthusiasm, reliability, and local knowledge are just as important as specialist expertise.
We are especially keen to encourage greater diversity on the board and welcome women, people of colour, people with disabilities, and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds – as well as anyone who feels their voice is currently underrepresented – to get involved.
We welcome proposals from Clapton CFC members. To ensure trustees have time to read and consider them properly, please send any proposals at least one week before the meeting.
Trustees’ meeting dates for rest of 2026:
Monday, August 17 (proposals by Monday, August 10)
Monday, October 12 (proposals by Monday, October 12)
Monday, December 7 (proposals by Monday, November 30)
If you’d like to attend a meeting as an observer, ask a question, or have an
informal conversation about what being a trustee involves, please contact us at
trust@oldspotteddog.org.
We’re always glad to hear from people who want to play a part in the future of the Old Spotted Dog Ground.
Please provide the following information when submitting a proposal for trustees to consider:
1. Name and email
2. Proposal – brief description of what you are proposing and why
3. How does this proposal support OSDGT’s charitable objectives? (for example: protecting the ground, improving community access, supporting long-term sustainability, or strengthening governance)
4. Estimated cost (if applicable)
5. Deadline or time sensitivity (if relevant)
Old Spotted Dog Ground pathway and fencing work project now complete
Looking around London’s oldest senior football ground, you will hopefully see the results of a lot of hard work over summer.
Along both the clubhouse and the Ham Park Road sides, there are new concrete pathways and new pitch perimeter fencing. The ground is now more accessible and safer.
This marks the final stage of the Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust’s Pathways and Accessibility Project, funded by £10,000 of donations.
The project was completed in three phases: design and fundraising, installation of the scaffold fence, and finally the laying of the concrete path.
Each stage brought its own challenges, but thanks to creative thinking and a huge effort from volunteers, we have achieved something most clubs could only dream of: a new path and fence delivered at a fraction of the usual cost. A pitch perimeter fence alone can cost around £50,000 before labour. Our fence, however, uses recycled scaffold poles.
As is often the case with projects of this scale, much of the volunteering was carried out by a small group of people. Whether you were one of the lucky few who got to drive a dumper truck, one of the slightly less lucky people raking concrete in 35 degree heat, or someone who donated to the fundraiser; everyone played a vital role.
Many gave up their time to dig out the old turf and lay the concrete, with their expertise and contacts helping to deliver significant savings throughout the project. A special thank you to Joe and Nick, who led the final stage from start to finish and delivered such a significant piece of work in a far shorter time than we are used to with construction projects. We also relied on expert help and it is difficult to overstate the impact our friends at Betongpark had in getting this over the line.
Reminder that alcohol from outside the Old Spotted Dog Ground is not allowed
As the Clapton CFC season gets back underway, we are working hard to make improvements to ensure quicker and more efficient service – including increased staff/volunteers, additional bars, and improved equipment. We will do our best to reduce the queues so you can get back to the football.
However, we do need to reinforce that our licence and ground regulations only allows for alcohol to be consumed within the ground if purchased from the Old Spotted Dog bar/s.
If you have alcohol from elsewhere when you arrive, please hand it over at the gate ready for collection upon your exit. We’ll keep track of these with a raffle ticket system that you can show when you exit (or at the bar, if you are leaving after 6pm).
It is a key part of our values that we do not police one another, and would not want to enforce bag searches upon entry, but we do need to keep to the terms of our licence so thank you in advance for your co-operation.
Finally, a reminder that all glass bottles are prohibited on site.
Pathway (almost complete) after second concrete day
The second day of the concreting got underway on Saturday, July 25 with the added pressure of needing the work completed before a friendly kicking off at 3pm.
With the right sort of concrete being delivered this time, the day started as it finished; with ease and little to no problems.
Spectators visiting the ground will now have ample room to watch games making matchdays safer and more accessible.
The last section of the work is a small area between the players pitch entrance and the players walkway. Stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks.