Leyton F.C ground becomes Asset of Community Value

Fantastic to hear that the abandoned ground of Leyton Football Club on Lea Bridge Road, one of London’s oldest clubs, has been granted Asset of Community Value status by Waltham Forest Council.

Earlier this year I interviewed ardent Leyton F.C supporter Stephen Madge about his memories of the club.

Let’s hope that football one day returns to the Hare and Hounds Ground.

27 Comments

  1. Bobby Kasanga   •  

    Does anybody know who owns the land as Hackney Wick Football Club would hope to get investors involved for a revamp?

    • Steven   •  

      Did you get anywhere with this Bobby?

    • Mick Barnett   •  

      Try WINGATE STADIUM LIMITED
      Company number 01293539

  2. Richard Kedzior   •  

    They say you never forget your first love and that’s certainly the case with Leyton – Wingate FC who rekindled my interest in football between late season 1984-85 to early season 1986-87 which coincided with me living in Walthamstow. Although a northerner by birth – and currently residing in Salford and watching Salford City since 2007 – I will always look back at my time following LWFC home and away with great pride and much affection and was absolutely gutted to hear that they folded a few years ago. I absolutely loved my time following the club which coincided with them reaching the FA Cup 1st round for 35 years in season 1985-86 when we played Swansea City away and found everyone associated with the club extremely friendly and welcoming. I so miss those happy years and although I follow Salford City with great passion home and away my support for LWFC will never diminish and I sincerely hope that one day a Leyton non-league team will once again play at the Lea bridge Road ground.

    • JohnR   •     Author

      Wonderful comment thanks for sharing those memories Richard

  3. Sam Smith   •  

    Do you know we’re the abandoned stadium is (the post code) and also is it open regularly for people to take photos ext…

    • JohnR   •     Author

      It’s just behind the Hare and Hounds pub on Lea Bridge Road Leyton. It was open the other day, it seems to be used as a car park

  4. bernie ferry   •  

    What great memeroies we have of the club.Mind you we were only customers (drinking) of the club but we also watched manys a game there We lived in Elm park rd just about 5 roads towards Hackney from the club and got to know so many of the old characters there It was going well when we moved to Ireland but we since heard from friends around the area that it closed down. What a shame.

  5. Mark Caswell   •  

    Would like to talk to interested investors, we would be able to help set up a club for players from
    6 to adults

    • Graham Larkbey   •  

      Hi Mark – suggest you contact the Walthamstow FC club about this idea (they’re the descendants of the original Leyton club, who moved to ‘stow when everything fell apart in 1995, and who became Leyton Pennant). They may be interested in the possibility of returning.

  6. James Penfold   •  

    Do you know who owns the ground

  7. James Penfold   •  

    Do you know who owns the ground please? What’s going to happen to the ground.

    Many thanks
    James penfold

    • JohnR   •     Author

      Hi James – I’m not entirely sure, best to check with Waltham Forest Council, I believe there are plans to develop the site

  8. James p   •  

    It’s in a right old mess. I visited last week. It needs a tidy up.

    • Nigel west   •  

      Waltham forest council & local trust if you decide to redevelop this old football ground of Leyton fc in to flats. Please just think about the important history of Leyton fc which was one of the oldest football clubs in london founded in 1868. As a local council you must keep that history and do not knock the ground down keep it as it is you can make it and reformed it in to a local community run football club. Leyton fc in it’s history has helped a lot of local youngsters to play football from grassroots level and also help the local community to watch affordable local football.

    • tb   •  

      a billionaire businessman and an asset management own this. The only interest here would be for residential development … sadly

  9. Nigel west   •  

    I used to go to watch matches at Leyton fc. A friend of mine used to play for the Leyton fc and I’m always been touched by the work commitment of the staff at the club.I have watched and been moved by the YouTube video post about the club from Steve madge talking about the rise and fall of Leyton fc. I have also been reading twitter messages about peoples memories about the club and want football to return to the hare and hounds ground. So I decided to plan to start up a facebook group campaign to bring back Leyton fc for the local community as I’am doing it for . As I need all the help I can get to set up group meetings to try and get Waltham forest council and a local community trust to stop building flats on the old football ground Leyton fc and to let football return for the good for the local community and let Hackney wick fc use it. I will post up more details about the Facebook group campaign to bring back Leyton fc very soon.

    • JohnR   •     Author

      Best of luck Nigel – please let me know when the campaign is up and running

  10. Nigel west   •  

    Hi john. Thanks for replying to my message about the campaign group to bring back Leyton fc. My nephew will help me to set up a campaign group web page via Facebook hopefully by this coming weekend. Please spread the word around.

  11. Nigel west   •  

    Hi john R. Just to let you know here is the new information for Facebook campaign group address for Leyton fc:

    http://www.Facebook.com/BringBackLeytonFC.

    It is now up and running please can you let Stephen madge know and the others too who post their message about Leyton fc on this website. As I used to watch some matches at the hare and hounds ground. This is a first time ever that I started a Facebook campaign group to bring back football and a club back to (life) hare and hounds ground as I’m only doing it for the local community and I have also watched the YouTube video post about the history of Leyton fc. I hope former players, fans, old managers and coaching staff and the local community will get behind this new Facebook campaign group(it is open to all) to bring back local football and Leyton fc to the hare and hounds ground. The more people who wants to join the facebook campaign group to bring back Leyton fc the better so future meetings can be set up hopefully in the hare and hounds pub.

  12. James   •  

    I will try and contact Talk Sport and Five Live Radio stations for some publicity on this.

  13. Nigel west   •  

    Hi James. I wish you good luck in getting in contact to the radio stations to spread the word about bring back Leyton fc please let me know how you get on.

    Also can anyone please spread the word about bring back Leyton fc facebook group to the local mp for the Leyton area. Thank you.

  14. Robert Francis Digby   •  

    my dad Doug Digby was a life long member who unfortunatly passed away in 2002,had he of been alive when it folded he would of gone nuts.kos who owned it was into drugs and everything ( crook ) he finally got caught hence it closed,still inside now i think.

  15. Jo   •  

    Does anyone know if there has been any new developments with this please ?
    Thanks jo

  16. Graham Larkbey   •  

    Hi Jo – sadly, the last I heard is that the ground is likely to be sold to developers. So much for its “protection” for sport and recreation only, which Waltham Forest Council has never shown any interest in enforcing.

  17. Jo   •  

    So sad just wished there was something we could its such a waste

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