About The Leyton Orientear

“We are the major reason for there being football clubs in the first place. Without supporters there would be no clubs. It’s not as if we even threaten those who control the game and the clubs. They have to answer to no-one. Their position is unassailable. All we can do is put forward our views and possibly embarrass those who use their power poorly.”

(Dave Knight, Founding Editor of the Leyton Orientear, 1988)

The Leyton Orientear started out in September 1986, in response to one of the periodic financial crises that seem to befall Orient every so often. The “Ear”, as it soon became known, was a fanzine written by Orient fans for Orient fans, and few others can match its longevity.

The full story of our first thirty years is chronicled here – but more recently it has become clear we needed to do things a bit differently in order to stay ahead of the changing world of media and sport – and Orient itself. It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that local media is in a dire state, and that there is next to no dedicated, professional reporting on Orient anymore. We’re here to put that right.

So, while maintaining the same progressive activism that characterised the fanzine – we’re also committing to providing coverage of Orient that is original, knowledgeable, and topical, bringing the skills of our community together across multiple formats. We want to entertain, to inform, and to scrutinise.

The early promise of social media has sadly collapsed, with the four horsemen of AI, ads, hate, and slop now roaming freely over most of the major platforms. With our connections and the support of the wider CounterPress network, our goal is to provide an experience to our members that is more wholesome, more straightforward, and more truthful.

In doing so, we’re fortunate to be able to build on years of work by hundreds of contributors, and the support of thousands of readers. We’re grateful that you’ve chosen to come with us as we enter an exciting new era for supporter-led journalism.