Podcast: Community Football – Clapton CFC and New York International

The Outside Write podcast is BACK! This is the first of ten episodes that will come out weekly each Monday, so please subscribe to Football Travel by Outside Write wherever you get your podcasts. Upcoming topics include Cold War football, FC United of Manchester, football in the West Midlands, Uruguay’s golden age, Egyptian football, and more…

I’m starting off this series with two interviews looking at community football in London and New York. I recently attended Clapton Community Football Club’s pre-season friendly with New York International, which was great and drew 781 people. Not bad for a club in England’s ninth tier. I spoke to Bernard Vere, a Clapton member, and Nick Platt, New York International’s vice president, about their ethos and plans.

Have a listen here on Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.

In summary, we cover:

Fan ownership: Clapton CFC formed in 2018 when supporters broke away and built a member-owned, member-run club. A flat structure and multiple committees mean democracy and transparency

The oldest ground in London: Clapton CFC play at the Old Spotted Dog Ground in Forest Gate, run by a separately constituted trust.

Anti-fascist, unapologetically: The left-wing identity is clear from the flags, banners, murals and stickers at the Old Spotted Dog, with genuine activism behind it.

The shirt that went viral: A member-designed away kit based on the Second Spanish Republic flag, carrying the slogan “¡No Pasarán!” and the International Brigades symbol, made by ethical Italian brand Rage. It’s already sold tens of thousands of shirts, many to Spain.

Accessible and community-minded: Clapton offers affordable tickets and gets involved with local charities.

From third team to founding a club: New York International grew out of a club’s overachieving third side in 2019, built around a deliberately multicultural identity in a league still dominated by single-nationality teams.

Community at the core: New York International also partners with local charities.

The American league system: Without promotion or relegation, closed franchises and a money-first model make community hard to build. Recent USL reforms and promotion/relegation plans offer some hope.

The result and what’s next: Clapton won 6-1, a once-in-a-lifetime trip for the New York International players.

Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky and Instagram. If you found this podcast interesting, then you might be interested in my book, The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism.