From 1921 to 2021
In 2021, CSSC celebrates its 100 years old birthday and to mark this occasion, we want to reflect on our history and our achievements. We also want to celebrate the work CSSC is currently doing and look forward to the next 100 years.
-
1863
The Football Association was formed
On 26 October 1893, George Wawn represented the Civil Service Football Club (CSFC) at a
meeting in the Freemasons' Tavern in Covent Garden with 10 other football clubs. Between them, they produced a set of laws for association football, and created a governing body - The Football Association. Of the original 11 clubs at the meeting, only the CSFC survives today.
-
1921
CSSC was formed
At an enthusiastic
meeting held on 4 November 1921 at Central Hall, Westminster, the Chairman, Sir Aubrey Symonds, KCB, Second
Secretary, Ministry of Health, proposed the first resolution, as follows: "that this meeting, representative
of Civil Service Sport in all its branches, now records its opinion that the time has arrived for the
formation of a United Civil Service Sports Club" the resolution being duly seconded.
The Civilian, 12 November 1921 -
1926
Chiswick opens its doors
The opening of
the civil service headquarters' ground at Chiswick. H.M, was presided over by King George IV. His Royal
Highness inspected the teams together with the respective captains. -
1929
Civil Service Athletics Association meeting
Civil Service
Athletics Association (CSAA) had a meeting at Stamford Bridge. The CCAA held its first championship in 1864
with such events as:• 100 yard dash
• Pole Leaping
• Cricket Ball
• Hopping 50 yards and 100 yards. -
1942
Twenty-one years of achievement
The President of the Civil Service Sports Council, H.R.H. The Duke of Gloucester K.G,
sent his congratulations to all those concerned on reaching the milestone of 21 years of achievement and
urging the importance of the CSSC “during these difficult years of War but still more in the reconstruction
period afterwards”. -
1946
A Royal Visit
His Royal Highness King
George V and the Queen Consort visit the bowls green at Chiswick -
1953
Visit from her Majesty the Queen to Chiswick
HM Queen Elizabeth II visits Chiswick sports
ground on 25 July where she spends time with her own civil servants.
Civil Service Sports Journal, July 1953 -
1972
Olympic Games message
Sir Richard Hayward C.B.E. has sent the following message on the subject of the 1972
Olympic Games. “As in the past, the Civil Service Sports Council has been asked to play a part in raising
money to help send a British team to the Olympic Games, to be held this year in Munich between 26 August and
10 September."
Extract from the news sheet of Civil Service Sports Council, January 1972 -
1981
CSSC Festival of Sport
3,000 members helped CSSC celebrate its Diamond Jubilee in the presence of HRH The
Duchess of Gloucester at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on 22 May. -
1987
Civil Service Riding Club
The Civil Service Riding Club Quadrille performing in Kensington Gardens, prior to the
loss of the avenue of trees in the background, during the great storm of October 1987.
Extract from CSSC yearbook 1988 -
2003
CSSC Games
The first Games were
held at Millfield School and have been held every other year at Loughborough University. Over the years, 27
sports have been included and two royal visits have taken place in 2003 and 2015. -
2013
CSSC plays football at Buckingham Palace
Hosted by HRH The Duke of Cambridge the Civil Service Football Club (CSFC) took part in
a football match at Buckingham Palace, on 7 October 2013, to mark the 150th anniversary of the Football
Association and the CSFC.
Gallery of Our Heritage
Enjoy some of these gems from the past 100 years. Look out for more fantastic images in the coming months as we add to this important collection.
You may also be inspired by this collection of photographs from the Queen's Coronation visit at Chiswick sports ground in 1953.
The Queen's Coronation visit, 1953
Be inspired by these fantastic images of The late Queen Elizabeth II's visit to our sports ground in Chiswick during the 1953 coronation celebrations. We're very grateful to Madeline Skelly for sharing these photos. Madeline was a player in a cricket match on that day:
“I was very excited and very nervous when I had to go into bat (unexpectedly!) but managed to survive and score some runs. I was told later that the Duke of Edinburgh commented on my ability to give the ball a good thump!".
Write your own history
In this short factsheet, we will show you how to document the history of your club or association (hereafter referred to as club in this factsheet) so that you can preserve that valuable knowledge for the future.
We also look at the benefits of preserving your history in writing and have a look at the types of information you need to include.
What's a club history?
This section covers all of the important events and achievements that have occurred over the lifetime of the club. It provides an overview of where the club has come from and the key people involved in creating it. Often histories are written for a major event, such as the 25th, 50th or 100th anniversary of a club's founding.
Why do it?
For a club, the benefits of having a documented history include:
- Interest and curiosity value for members
- Having a sense of tradition
- Understanding where certain policies or processes came from
- Giving members a sense of belonging to an enduring club
- Generating extra pride in that club
- Generating ideas that may help your club
- Demonstrating longevity to attract members and volunteers
The first step is to clarify the scope of the history to be documented, that is, picking how wide and to what depth the club wants to know about its past. Scoping the project tightly means it can be broken down into small manageable tasks and this avoids wasting time.
Your club may also need to delegate a person to coordinate the research efforts. This doesn't mean that they will have to do the whole thing - just be in charge of organising the project and assigning tasks where needed.
Areas to consider for research
- When/why was it founded?
- Who was involved at the start of the club?
- What were the names of the first members?
- Are any of the original members or their family members still part of the club?
- How many original members were there, and how many members are there now?
- What did the first membership subscription cost?
- Were there any requirements for becoming a member, and what membership categories existed?
- If appropriate, where were the original club facilities located?
- What contests or club championship events were held, and who won them?
- Have club members represented the CSSC or country? If so, who, when, how many times, what events and did they perform?
- What awards or honours have been presented to the club?
- Has there been any royal visits?
- How was the clubs activity programme changed and/or developed?
- What does the club offer now?
The next step is doing the research! You'll need to find as much information as possible about the club over the years. To ensure accuracy, it's a good idea to cross-check and verify this where possible.
Try to find photos or similar as well. As the cliche says, a picture is worth a thousand words and they add interest to your research. In developing this section, your club might use a number of sources:
- Experienced on long-serving club members
- Club honours boards
- Club/committee meeting minutes, documents and archives which can either be found at your own club
- Local/regional CSSC records or CSSC national records
The third step is to get writing! It will take time to craft, but collate all of your research into one place. Create an outline of what areas you are going to cover and then fill in the blanks. Be careful about including sensitive or debateable information, try to stick to the 'facts'. It's also a good idea to get your work edited by a single person at the end of the project so the writing is well structured, readable, and free of grammatical and spelling mistakes.
How do we use our club history?
Release and communicate your work? It would be a shame if you did all that great work and then no-one ever saw it! Show club members what you've found. You might consider a special printed edition for an anniversary event, or uploading onto the club webpage so you can update it over time.
Don't let it gather dust in the back of your club! Potential members and eligible employers may be interested in it if you can demonstrate something interesting or take a unique angle. Free positive publicity is great for attracting members and new members.
For more information please contact Hedley Featherstone, Centenary Development Executivevia emailor call 07802 482330.