England beat Germany 2 nil

 

Well done England. A great result. 

London's oldest football ground needs a new clubhouse roof

"The Old Spotted Dog Ground Trust is launching an appeal for urgent funds - £15,000 is needed to fix the clubhouse roof at Clapton CFC’s new home in Forest Gate.

The Old Spotted Dog is London’s oldest senior football ground and Clapton CFC became the new owners in July 2020. We have since begun the work of reversing two decades of neglect.

A roof leak caused part of the clubhouse ceiling to collapse before we took over. Since then our inventive volunteers have tried multiple methods to stop the leak, including roofing felt, heavy-duty tarpaulin and even an industrial-strength rubber ‘roof condom’.

A permanent roof replacement is a vital step that allows critical repair work, including replacing the condemned electrics, to take place. Without this, there is a real question mark hanging over our ability to bring football back to the Old Spotted Dog Ground next season.

Why does this matter?

Since July we have made huge strides forward on improving the pitch, but we have only begun recently to fully understand the other challenges we face. As things stand with the leak and the wiring situation, we cannot safely have people working in the clubhouse.

A functioning clubhouse is a key component of the FA’s ground grading requirements. To be ready for an FA inspection in early 2021, we must make these repairs on a very tight timetable, Therefore we cannot wait to secure grants or other sources of funding.

In addition to being passed as ready for our matchdays, we aim for the clubhouse to become a warm and welcoming community hub for the people of Newham, with the emphasis on warm!

What will our donations pay for?

We will spend every penny we raise up to £15,000 on replacing the roof, a really ambitious target.

If we are able to exceed the target, or if a more competitive quote for the repair is found, we will spend any extra funds raised on rewiring the clubhouse and completing other works needed to open the clubhouse.

Please share this urgent appeal, tag @OSDGroundE7 on Twitter and @ClaptonCFC everywhere else!

Ronald Valentine Higgins RIP - Socialist, Footballer, Trade Unionist & War Hero

I was sad to hear yesterday of the death of 92 year old Labour Party loyalist, Ronald Valentine Higgins (his middle name is due to being born on 14 February!).

Ronald had a long and fascinating life as a East End Steelworker, semi-professional football player, war time Lancaster Bomber Gunner, Docker, trade unionist and life long Labour supporter.

I remember meeting him at a Labour Party BBQ on Wanstead flats many years ago and being so impressed by this quiet, friendly, unassuming man, who had done so much in his life for his country and working people.

See the tribute here from the Newham Recorder.

Picture is of Ron supporting a Labour Party stall in Green Street last year and making clear what he believes in. 

RIP Ron and condolences to your family.

Dulwich Hamlet take on FC Assyria in charity match for refugees, Wednesday 2nd March

Well done to Southwark UNISON for sponsoring this event "On Wednesday, 2nd March, Dulwich Hamlet FC are playing a fundraising match against Middlesex County Leaguers FC Assyria, with all money raised being split between the British Red Cross Syria Appeal and the Southwark Refugee Communities Forum.

 The idea for the game came after Southwark Councillor Jasmine Ali approached the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust to see if the club would get involved in another fundraising initiative (many Dulwich Hamlet fans have also been helping bring vital supplies to refugees across the channel, via the enterprising Dulwich2Dunkirk campaign).

Dulwich Hamlet play Stonewall FC in England's biggest anti-homophobia exhibition match, Weds 11th February, 2015 The club explains that by playing FC Assyria (who compete one division above Stonewall FC, who Hamlet played in an ‘Anti-Homophobia’ event a year ago), they not only help raise much needed money & resources, but they also get the chance to work with one of the many unsung lower level teams further down the pyramid.

FC Assyria was set up in the late 1960’s to represent the Assyrian Society of United Kingdom in Ealing, West London. Over the past thirty years or so, the team have successfully competed in the local leagues, challenging for both league and cup honours. These traditions are still alive today with the team playing at Step Seven, four rungs below The Hamlet Who are the Assyrians? The Assyrians of today are the indigenous Aramaic-speaking descendants of the ancient Assyrian people, one of the earliest civilizations emerging in the Middle East, and have a history spanning over 6750 years.

The Assyrians are Christian, with their own unique language, culture and heritage living mainly in Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey. Unfortunately due to War and ISIS attacks, many Assyrians have had to flee their homelands and become refugees. Reaching out The club explains that forthcoming game will give them the opportunity to reach out to both the local refugee community in Southwark, and across London, as well as using the Club as a medium to “counter much of the discriminatory nonsense that is scaremongeringly covered by the media, in general.

As well as making a practical difference to those who have not managed to find places of safety yet.” All of the money raised at the match will be split between two very important charities, one local & one national. The Southwark Refugee Communities Forum are one of our match partners, with the other half being donated to the much larger national British Red Cross Syria Appeal.

The local Southwark UNISON branch of the trade union will be official match sponsors, with the match ball sponsored by the Dulwich Hamlet Supporters’ Trust". hat tip Brixon Buzz and Captain Swing