One of the most successful clubs in non-League football 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 national team.

[1] Clapton began competing in the FA Cup in 1888–89,[2] and in 1890 became the first club from Great Britain to play in continental Europe, defeating a Belgian XI 7–0 in Antwerp.

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 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 in the final.

They were eventually knocked out, losing 3–2 at 'home' to Swindon Town, a match that was played at West Ham United's Boleyn Ground and drew a crowd of 27,000.

The club then briefly played at Elm Farm and Pilgrims Road and then relocated to the Old Spotted Dog Ground in Forest Gate in 1887 after it was vacated by St Bartholomew's Hospital.

Clapton played the majority of their home fixtures at Aveley's Mill Field ground, as well as groundsharing with Purfleet, Barking & East Ham United, Wembley and Hertford Town.

The group followed the European ultras tradition and developed around local fans disengaged with modern professional football, migrants to east London and those with an opposition to discrimination and far-right politics.

[21] 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.

[23] 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.