CivilServiceFc.com
Title
CSFC Civil Service Football Club at Chiswick CSSC
Description
Although the exact origins of the Civil Service Football Club are lost in the mists of time, there is little doubt that the club, nominally formed in 1863, is one of the oldest in the country. It was a founding member of the Football Association and a participant in the first ever FA Cup in 1871.
In fact the CSFC takes its year of formation from the date of the momentous meeting on October 28, 1863 in London when the club, represented by Mr Warne of the War Office, made football history by agreeing with 11 other pioneers to establish a football association. It is presumed that the Civil Service Football Club existed prior to this date. During the opening years of this century Civil Service regularly toured the continent and played a major role in helping to spread the new game across Europe. In recognition of the CSFC’s pioneering work, the club has the unique distinction of being an honorary life member of Real Madrid and Slavia Prague. As many football clubs being to embrace professionalism Civil Service decided to remain with the amateur code. It took a leading part in the formation of the Amateur Football Alliance, the Isthmian League (1906) - finishing fourth in its inaugural year - and the Southern Amateur League (1907) when many other amateur clubs split from the FA to form their own Associations.
Civil Service can also boast international honours from among its ranks in 1920 C.W Herbridge, a CSFC club captain, won four caps for England, against Wales, France, Ireland and Belgium. He was among a number of Service players who featured on cigarette cards. While the Civil Service took part in the FA Cup from its inception until 1951, Its main successes are to be found in other tournaments. In 1901, the same year as its first continental tour, the club won the London Senior Cup. The following year the CSFC reached the divisional final of the FA Cup, eventually losing to Luton and in 1903 the club progressed to the 3rd round of the FA Cup before going out against Fulham, both by then professional sides.
