Non-League and Academy football writer

(James is pictured above, holding a photograph that was gifted to the club by Athletic Bilbao, to commemorate a game that was played between them and Civil Service 100 years ago.)

James Kellett is the president of one of the world’s oldest football clubs – Civil Service FC. With their first team playing their football in the Southern Amateur League (Senior Division One), Civil Service was founded in 1863, and they were one of the FA’s founding members, and they have so much footballing history. Last Saturday morning, ahead of the Civil Service first team’s league fixture with Actonians Association, I had the privilege of interviewing James Kellett, about some of his memories of being involved with the club for over 40 years, so far. 

Could you talk me through a bit about your background in football, prior to joining Civil Service?

James: Just like any young lad I played football as I was growing up. I grew up in Chiswick, and I actually used to play on the pitches at King’s House Sports Ground (Civil Service’s home ground), but little did I know that I would end up joining the Civil Service when I was 17. I actually saw an advert for the Civil Service football club, and after ringing a number I ended up going along and from there I started training and playing for the club. I’ve been involved with the club since I was 17, and I’ve played across all of the teams. I actually took on one of the teams at the club, and I would also become club captain, and so I’ve had a number of roles at the club.

Could you talk me through a bit about some of your recent memories, of being involved with this historic club?

James: I think that celebrating our 150th anniversary as a club, and the subsequent events that we got invited to, they are some of the recent memories which really stand out to me. Being invited to clubs such as Slavia Prague, meeting Eusébio, and also really being treated with real importance by big clubs, they are special memories. We also got invited to FIFA headquarters to meet FIFA officials there, and they just really recognised the history of our club. Following on from that, we were invited to take part in the first ever football match at Buckingham Palace. We had a lot of coverage from the media as a result of being invited there, and so the media had a lot of interest in the history of the club, just from that. Building up to our 150th anniversary, and post that anniversary, it’s all been a bit of a rollercoaster, in terms of interest in the club.

Could you talk me through some of your standout memories of being at Civil Service FC (so far)?

James: There have been many. However, I  think that going to FIFA, and going to Buckingham Palace, they are the two standout memories within the last 15 years. 

Could you talk me through a bit about last season (2023/24), for Civil Service and their first team? 

James: I would say that it turned out to be one of the most successful seasons for the first team, in the last 10 plus years, in terms of reaching two cup finals (the AFA Senior and the SAL Cup final), even though we just fell short in both cup finals. We also consolidated our position in the first division of the SAL, which is really important in terms of attracting players. As a club we were impacted last season, by the death of one of our players, Seb Chadwick, who very sadly died while playing football this March. Seb’s passing really had an effect on our players at the club, even in the final when we had a minutes silence, and it continues to do so.

You beat current step 6 non-League side PFC Victoria London in the Middlesex Premier Cup, during the 2023/24 season. What was that like?

James: I was just really impressed by the performance of our players. Having played on the Saturday before, to then reach another level on the Tuesday night, and competing against a team who were at a different level entirely. That went to show just how far the first team had come last season. Unfortunately from last season we have lost some players, who have had to move away from London because of the cost of living. And that’s had a detrimental effect on the first team this season. A lot of our players at the club are from the Civil Service, although we do have a number of players who although they are members of the club, aren’t civil servants. 

I’ve heard a lot about the quality of amateur football. Would you say that the quality  of the Senior Division One of the Southern Amateur League is very similar to say step 5 of the non-League system?

James: Yes I would. I think that some of the clubs, such as Nottsborough, West Wickham and Hammersmith, they have been very, very strong for a number of years. They’ve certainly helped to increase the quality of the players at this level of amateur football. Division One of the SAL is very, very competitive.

What have you made of how the current Southern Amateur League (Senior Division One) season (2024/25), has gone so far, at this very early stage of the season?

James: We’ve been unlucky in a couple of games so far this season, and had we finished our chances in games then we might have been sitting top of the league, at this moment in time. We conceded in the last minute of our game with Hammersmith, and although we’re currently unbeaten going into this game today against Actonians, we would have started today’s game top of the league table. We are pretty surprised with how well the first team have started this season, because of the fact that a number of players from last season have left the club.

Civil Service men’s first team are competing in the Middlesex Premier Cup again this season, what did you make of the early round cup-tie with Camden United? Also, what are some of your personal hopes for Civil Service in that competition this season?

James: We want to just progress as far as we can in the Middlesex Premier Cup. Last year we just fell short, but dependent on the draw this season we’ll see how far we can go. Obviously it’s all down to player availability for the midweek games, with how strong a team we can field. The Camden United game was a really competitive but respectful game, and Camden United are a really nice club. We now look forward to playing Bedfont FC in the next round of the competition.

What are some of your hopes for all of Civil Service’s teams this season, in their respective divisions?

James: I just hope that we can continue to put eight sides out on a Saturday, with the women’s side, who we hope to continue to progress. We also hope for a bit of success for some of the sides, which is important for the club as it creates a great spirit. If you look at our history we were actually the first English club to tour abroad, and in recent years we’ve taken teams to Copenhagen, Berlin and Bilbao. And now this season we hope to take another group of 50 to 60 people from the club on another tour.