Football Association Honours Civil Service Football Club's Longevity
Chiswick-based team only founding member of the FA still operating
FA chair Debbie Hewitt with Civil Service Football Club President Jim Kellett (left) and Pete Worster, Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Service Sports Council (right). Picture: Jonathan Hordle/CSSC
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October 1, 2026
Chiswick-based Civil Service Football Club has been formally honoured by The Football Association for its unparalleled, uninterrupted record of playing the game since 1863.
On Saturday 26 September, FA Chair Debbie Hewitt visited Kings House School Sports Ground i to present a commemorative plaque recognising CSFC’s unique status as the only surviving founding club of the FA still playing association football continuously since its formation. The moment marked both a celebration of football’s origins and a tribute to a club that remains vibrantly active more than 160 years later.
The presentation took place on a day that illustrated the ongoing vibrancy of the club. Six men’s teams were in action across the Southern Amateur League and the West London Veterans Football League, while the women’s team played the following day in the Greater London Women’s Football League.
Civil Service FC’s story is woven through the earliest chapters of football history. As one of the eleven clubs that founded the FA in 1863, it helped establish the rules and structure of the sport. It competed in the inaugural FA Cup, and in 1907 became a founder member of the Amateur Football Association, safeguarding amateur football at a time when the game was rapidly professionalising.
The club’s influence extended beyond Britain. In the early twentieth century, CSFC undertook pioneering overseas tours, helping to promote football across Europe and contributing to the sport’s international growth.
FA chair Debbie Hewitt is given a tour of the club's grounds. Picture: Jonathan Hordle/CSSC
Its historic significance was recognised again in 2013, when — as part of joint 150th anniversary celebrations — the club was invited by FA Patron HRH The Duke of Cambridge to play the first competitive football match ever held in the grounds of Buckingham Palace.
Speaking at the plaque presentation, Debbie Hewitt praised the club’s extraordinary longevity and continued relevance:
“Civil Service Football Club occupies a truly unique place in the history of our game. As the only surviving founding member of the FA to have played association football continuously since 1863, the club represents a direct link to the very origins of football as we know it today.
“What makes that achievement so special is not simply the club’s extraordinary history, but the fact that it remains a vibrant and active part of the football community today.”
Today, Civil Service FC runs nine men’s teams, including six open-age sides, two veterans’ teams and a Super Vets squad. Its women’s section, launched in 2018 with support from the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC), now fields an 11-a-side team in Division 1 of the Greater London Women’s Football League and a 5/7-a-side team in the Waterloo Superliga.
CSSC’s long-standing support remains central to the club’s success. CEO Pete Worster described the FA recognition as “a remarkable milestone for one of football’s greatest and most enduring stories,” adding that CSFC “continues to go from strength to strength, serving their fans and community, 164 years on from their founding.”
The commemorative event also saw club volunteer Adam Wills receive the inaugural Jim Kellet Salver for his outstanding contribution over the past year, particularly in the face of a serious injury.
Club President Jim Kellett said, “This was another memorable day in our club’s long history and one that everyone who attended will remember. We continue to build on that history every single day and provide opportunities for men and women to play football.”
He emphasised the vital role of volunteers past and present, and the essential support of CSSC in sustaining the club’s work.
More than 160 years after helping create the game, Civil Service Football Club remains a thriving, welcoming and ambitious institution — proud of its heritage and determined to keep shaping football’s future.
The FA plaque now installed at Kings House Sports Ground stands as a testament to a story unlike any other in the sport: a club that helped invent football, and has never stopped playing it.
The club is actively recruiting new players of all abilities who want to enjoy competitive football in a friendly, inclusive environment. Enquiries can be made via csfc.recruitment@gmail.com.
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