ISSUE 2 • SATURDAY 28TH DECEMBER 2024

TFFC – 56 YEARS OLD TODAY!
"There are not many teams in grassroots football that can claim to have an existence of over 50 years. Temple Fortune FC are one of these and it is no coincidence that, like an old and firm tree, it has a deep foundation with deep roots. The Club has been a great credit to the League at all times."

DAVID WOLFF (MGBSFL CHAIRMAN)
FortuneTeller Editorial by Nigel Kyte
Today marks the Club's 56th birthday. I know I repeat this newsletter every year and I make no apology for doing so again. To me, the very roots of this long-running Club stem from occasions like today, so that you can appreciate just what TFFC stands for. The Club's very backbone of stability has been built up on our history, where it is important to remember the TFFC origins. My firm belief is that an awareness of the Club's history and traditions instil pride and a sense of teamwork and collective commitment.

It makes no difference how our fortunes fare during the season – good, bad or indifferent – since history keeps rolling on and to that extent, you should be very proud to be associated with a grassroots football club that has existed this long. No other club in Maccabi football can match TFFC's continuous longevity.

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Raise your glass to TFFC!
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So please take the time to click on the links and enjoy reading about the history of Temple Fortune Football Club. The commitment of each of our Members, along with many counterparts over the years, has ensured that we will continue beyond our 56 years of existence.

Over this festive period, you might end up with a drink in your hand at some point, so please quietly raise a toast to Temple Fortune FC, fifty-six years old today!

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The famous 'low brick wall'
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On this very day fifty-six years ago, four teenagers – namely Michael Rook, Robert Silverstone, myself and my brother Peter – decided to form our own team. During the mid-sixties, we met with other friends every Sunday morning for kick-abouts at Princes Park, a small park in Temple Fortune, NW11. Around the autumn of 1968, a few members of the group split away to start up a team named Princes Park, so at the end of the year we agreed to start up our own team.

After finishing a short game in Princes Park, as the light began to fade on a cold and damp midweek afternoon, the four of us walked out of the Park and up Oakfields Road to the first house which belonged to my parents. We sat on the low brick wall (depicted below) and decided to form the Temple Fortune Town Football Club; the name was immediately referred to as 'TFT' for short.



The first game of any kind to be played under the banner of TFT took place at Lyttleton Playing Fields just five days after formation. The game was only four-a-side and we walked from Oakfields Road to Lyttleton through Hampstead Garden Suburb. We used pullovers on the grass as 'goalposts' and TFT won comfortably against a Lyttleton group by 24–8 – I scored nine goals!

The first 11-a-side match was played on Sunday 25th October 1970 at Hampstead Heath, where TFT beat Princes Park Juniors 12–4. In 1971, the name was shortened to just Temple Fortune and a set of yellow shirts was bought from Pullens of Temple Fortune Parade for only £14! In time, we adopted yellow shirts (with red shorts) as the Club colours.

The rest, as they say, is all history! We have certainly come a long way since those embryonic days. Forty-nine years of continuous participation in Maccabi League football for a start. Please enjoy the links and again, Happy Birthday to our Club!

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And finally...
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On behalf of the Club's management I would like to wish you and your family a happy and healthy 2025 and not forgetting, good Fortune all the way!

Nigel
The Club's History >
General overview of how everything has developed
The Pre-League Days >
Events as they happened prior to joining the MSFL
The 1968 Dream... >
... that Grew Into Reality
Golden Anniversary Events >
How we commemorated the Club's big Fifty!
Princes Park >
The very place where the Club originated
The New Club >
TFFC is revived in 1976
TFFC's Oldest Publication >
The first newsletter dated 1973
The 1973/74 Handbook >
A 24-page one-off special handbook in its entirity
TFFC Timeline >
Season-by-season summary of TFFC's history
Epic Games >
Momentous memorable matches down the years
League Summary – Part 1 >
The First Team's record against every club
League Summary – Part 2 >
The Old Boys Team's record against every club
A to Z of TFFC Players >
Up to and including season 2020/21
Complete Playing Record >
Including team photographs over the years
The Club's Best Sequences >
Unbeaten and winning sequences
Best Seasons >
TFFC's best seasons in the League and Cups
Leading Goalscorers >
The Club's best top two goalscorers each season
TF in the Premier Division >
The First Team's summary in the MSFL top flight


At the end of the 2025/26 season, TFFC will commemorate 50 years of competing in the Maccabi (Southern) Football League. To mark this incredible milestone, the Club will be producing a book for all Club Members and anyone associated with us who might wish to share in this incredibly unique achievement in Jewish football.


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