Clapham Common Club, usually known by its initials C.C.C., was a mid-nineteenth century amateur English football club based at Clapham Common.

History

The club was active during the period between 1864 and 1871, playing both

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and codes closer to

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...

. The club was a member of the

Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...

from 1864 to 1872, although it did not enter the FA Cup. The club's first recorded match was a 2–1 win over a "scratch eleven" on 4 January 1864, the scratch eleven being made up of other members of the club. The first genuine external match followed on 16 January, a 2–0 home win against the Montague Club. The club played the Blackheath Rugby Club under the latter's rules (similar to rugby, but with a different offside rule) in 1865, winning 4–0. The biggest win was a 6–0 win for a C.C.C. thirteen against a 20-man Clapham side; the club's most notable win was a 1–0 win over the Wanderers in a match played to

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

rules, albeit the Wanderers were hampered by having to use substitutes (one of whom was C.C.C.'s Edward Tayloe) as only seven players - albeit including

Charles W. Alcock Charles William Alcock (2 December 1842 – 26 February 1907) was an English sportsman, administrator, author and editor. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and cricket, as well as being the creator of ...

and

Alexander Morten Alexander Morten (some sources say "Alec Morten") (15 November 1831 – 24 February 1900) was a footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He captained the England team in its second official international, played against Scotland on 8 March 1873. ...

- turned up. The last reported match was on 18 March 1871, a 0–0 draw at home to Sydenham F.C., in which the club was "represented on this occasion by an exceptionally weak team"., although the club was still active within the FA committees at this time, with captain P.V. Turner being on the committee to choose players for the unofficial internationals. The formation of the

Clapham Rovers Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club playe ...

was a factor in the decline of C.C.C.; the club's captain and secretary in 1868, John Tayloe, was captain of the Rovers in the latter's first match in 1869. In the 1869–70 season, the club only played seven matches, with three 0-0 draws, three 1–0 defeats, and scoring just the one goal, in a win over Brentwood School. By 1872, two of the C.C.C. regulars were playing for the Civil Service F.C., others played for the original Crystal Palace club, and others - including the Dealtry brothers, Soden, and Ker, who had played in the club's very first matches - retired from the game.

Colours

Until 1870 the club listed its colours as being a black velvet cap with a red tassel and red stockings. In 1871 the club changed to red and black.

References

Defunct football clubs in England Defunct football clubs in London 1865 establishments in England Association football clubs established in 1864 Association football clubs disestablished in 1872 {{England-footyclub-defunct-stub

History

Colours

See also

References