This Saturday will mark 150 years to the day that an amateur football club from Chiswick helped form the game's first governing body – the Football Association.

Civil Service were one of 11 London football clubs and schools represented at a meeting at the Freemasons Tavern, near Covent Garden, on October 26, 1863, to agree a universally accepted set of rules for playing, which in turn led to the formation of the FA.

But while the other 10 – Barnes, Blackheath, Blackheath Propreitary School, Crusaders, Forest (later to become Wanderers, the inaugural FA Cup winners), NN (No Names), Club (Kilburn), the original Crystal Palace, Kensington School, Perceval House and Surbiton are all either defunct or now play rugby union – Civil Service are the only ones who still play football.

While the FA will hold their anniversary dinner tomorrow, Civil Service will instead celebrate tonight (Friday), having taken the precautionary measure of cancelling tomorrow's Southern Amateur League fixture.

In attendance will be a number of dignitaries, including World Cup referee Howard Webb, who refereed the special anniversary game between Civil Service and Polytechnic at Buckingham Palace earlier this month.

Civil Service were also hoping Mike Wawn, the great grandson of their representative at that 1863 meeting, war office employee George Twizell Wawn, would attend, having tracked him down, but he has had to unfortunately pull out.

The club's history, if not already established, is a rich one. They took part in the first ever FA Cup and provided both 'umpires' for the first final, while captain C.W. Harbridge won four England caps and even featured on cigarette cards.

Along with Corinthians, they did more towards the early development of the game across Europe than any other club, touring the continent regularly in the early years of the 20 century and playing the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid,

The London Senior Cup, Middlesex Senior Cup, Southern Amateur League title and AFA Senior Cup all featured in their trophy cabinet in the early years. Then, following some leaner times, the AFA Senior Cup was won again in 1997 – a first trophy in 67 years!

Fittingly, last season saw the first XI crowned SAL Division Two champions, ensuring a return to the top flight for their anniversary year, where things have not been going so well. Sitting second bottom after just one win from their opening five games, they have parted company with manager Dan Huxley, but are hoping things will turn around and their 150 year won't be tainted with a relegation battle.