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History & Community

Community

We are proud to be home to and host a wide range of sports clubs, schools and events in the local area. King’s House aims to widen access for the local community to first-class sports facilities, and are lucky to have such a large space in London.

Grenfell Athletic FC

KHSG is home to Grenfell Athletic FC for their weekly fixtures and training. The club was founded by Rupert Taylor in the aftermath of the Grenfell Fire in 2017 as a way to help young men in the local community come together after the tragedy. Grenfell Athletic joined the Middlesex County Football League in September 2017, and you can read more about the club’s story here.

In November 2023, the Common Ground pitch at KHSG was launched in partnership with Cadbury FC. Common Ground will be a home at KHSG for Grenfell’s men’s and women’s teams, facilitated by 14 of Cadbury’s partner clubs. The wider Grenfell community will be able to come together through football, and it was officially opened at an inaugural charity match in November 2023.

England Rugby Training Camp

In May 2022, King’s House School Sports Ground hosted the England Men’s Senior Rugby Squad for a two day training camp. The second day included an open training session, where over 500 children from local schools watched them train. King’s House and Hammersmith Academy pupils then took part in a training session led by Eddie Jones and his coaching staff.

History

Until 2010, King’s House School Sports Ground was known as the Civil Service Sports Ground and operated by the Civil Service Sports Council. Opened in 1926 by King George V and Prince Albert, the grounds have a longstanding history.

The first recorded match on the ground was in 1926, when the Civil Service cricket team played Australia in a non-first-class match. The following year, the ground held its only first-class match when the Civil Service played the touring New Zealanders.

The site has remained the home of the Civil Service Football Club and Civil Service Rugby Club, now known as CS 1863 Stags, since its opening.

Civil Service

The Civil Service Football Club is acknowledged as the sole surviving association amateur football club from the original eleven clubs who founded The Football Association (FA) at the Freemasons’ Tavern, Great Queen Street in London on 26 October 1863.

They are the only existing founder member club of the English FA and a founder member of some of the oldest amateur leagues in the world. They helped create and played in the first ever FA Challenge Cup competition in the 1871/72 season. The Civil Service took part in the FA Cup from its inception until 1951.

The Civil Service Rugby Club is a founding member of the RFU (Rugby Football Union), as one of the 20 clubs who met in 1871. Of the 20 clubs which sent delegates only 7 other clubs remain – Blackheath, Guy’s Hospital, Harlequins, King’s College, Richmond, St Paul’s School and Wellington College. The football and rugby teams now operate as the CS Stags 1863, and still play at the Sports Ground.

King’s House School

Since 2010, King’s House School has managed the Sports Ground and overseen many new developments and facilities. In 2015 a FIFA and RFU approved 3G pitch was added to the site, and in September 2021 works were completed on a new all-weather pitch, which has become the home to the London Wayfarers Hockey Club. The Wayfarers are the largest hockey club in the country, offering social to National League hockey for all ages. Four new cricket nets were also added alongside extended car parking. Upgrades to King’s Tennis Centre include a new clubhouse comprising of a tennis café, tennis shop and stringing service, two artificial clay courts for year round play, and a new strength and conditioning facility.

In September 2023, works to build a new 3G pitch were completed, and this is now home to London Scottish Rugby.