Somebody touring clubs in the past (4)
I believe the answer is:
once
'in the past' is the definition.
(once upon a time)
'somebody touring clubs' is the wordplay.
'somebody' becomes 'one' (I've seen this in another clue).
'touring' indicates putting letters inside (touring can mean going round).
'clubs' becomes 'c' (abbreviation used in card games such as bridge).
'one' going around 'c' is 'ONCE'.
(Other definitions for once that I've seen before include "'... bitten, twice shy'" , "In times past" , "in days of yore?" , "In the old days" , "not repeatedly" .)