The current SODAM side are basically the end result of a conglomerate of amalgamations whose origins lay in the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) who first put a side together in the early 80s.  The side in those days was made up entirely of ODA employees and consisted of a few keen club players but was mainly made up of footballers who liked watching rugby but had never actually tried to play it.  All the early matches were played on Sundays against other Civil Service organisations such as the English Heritage, FCO and COI.  Once a few of the guys had been converted to the oval game the ODA started entering the National 15’s and the National and London 7s, the latter of which they were runners up back in 1992.  The first captain of the side was Tony Coffey but when he went off to Australia in 1985, Ian Wells took over the side and kept badgering the guys to field the occasional side and is still doing the same thing now.  As other players sought overseas experience and a few picked up serious knocks, ending the playing days of more than one, the ODA found it increasingly difficult to field an all staff side.  So the word went out that the team would welcome friends, relatives players from other clubs, anyone to make up the numbers and this notably saw Norman Hannan and his son Mark play many times in the same side and later saw several other father and son take to the same pitch.  It also later led on one occasion to 5 sets of brothers playing in a SODAM team on the same day in the Albert Charity Shield.  By good fortune we also became pally with the London Media who helped us enormously to field our ‘own’ Sunday side after playing in their own gruelling Saturday encounters and in return some of the ODA guys occasionally turned out for them including the organiser Ian.  Our net was spreading………...  

The Science Museum (SM) in 1993, were themselves starting out with an all SM cast organised and led by the old rogue James Goddard, in whose company one doesn’t ever have just ‘a beer’ (just ask Winny and Simon Sherry).  The SM quickly found running an all SM side on a Saturday was difficult and turned to the ODA to provide the odd player now and then just as they were doing for the London Media to help them out.  A challenge ensued and ODA and SM played their first match on a Sunday.  The SM lost but showed great spirit and challenged the ODA to a rematch the following season to be played on a Saturday which the ODA won again and Ian scored a hat trick (his one and only).  A great bond of friendship between the teams, but particularly between the captains Ian and James, was forged and the ODA buoyed by their Saturday success (not their only of course) as we also thrashed the FCO 85-0 on a Saturday, entered headlong into the throes of Saturday rugby the following season.  This was easily sold to the troops by explaining the bar would be open all day (bars used to shut in the afternoons at 2pm then) and there would be more drinking time.  The ODA challenged all and sundry and were generally soundly beaten but never deterred.  We only played 9 games in our first Saturday season (10 years ago) and even with so few games we had to frequently call on the Science Museum when they didn’t have a game themselves to lend us players, as we could no longer expect the London Media to help (although the odd Media cancellation did help us greatly) and we reciprocated to the SM as they began to struggle more and more for players.

This was the beginning of the unofficial merger.  It was around this time we also got to know the Service III’s and IV’s quite well and started the all too familiar trait of lending each other players, particularly to the CS IV’s captained by Robin Ogleby who were not getting as regular a run out as they would have liked.

The following season saw the official merger of the two ODA and SM sides and the SODAM we know and love today was formed and SODAM All was introduced as our anthem.  With great enthusiasm and over optimism we once again increased the number of games we played.  Playing and surprise, surprise, drinking bonds continued to strengthen between SODAM and the Service but the increased number of games played by SODAM had an affect on whether the Service could put out a fourth team or not as they couldn’t rely on SODAM for spare players.  This sometimes unfortunately led them to cancel their match but fortunately for us meant the keener guys came along to us to bolster our squad.
 
At the end of the 96/97 season the regulars from the Service IV’s knowing the Kiwis in their side who turned up on mass or not at all would not be around the following season regrettably concluded there would be no IV’s next season.  As such they asked if they could formally merge with us and invited us to play at Chiswick where SODAM could be guaranteed a pitch.  At the time we were told the Service were in danger of losing the third pitch if it wasn’t utilised so the arrangement suited both us, and the Service particularly as most of the SODAM team were Civil Service guys.  It was agreed that SODAM should keep their identity (eg “they can keep our bald heads and broken teeth” to quote Robin Ogleby) and not become the SODAM Service or any other such name.   One or two of the Service IV’s chose to try their luck with the thirds but Paul Derrett, Robin Ogleby, Piers Constable, Dave Lawrance and Tom McAllum all became regulars in the SODAM side and later when the IIIs started to fall the same way of the CS IVs several of the IIIs followed their Captain Neil Scambler (Jock) and also joined SODAM. 

Even with all these mergers, these were still not enough! Being a social side meant players were not committed to or expected to play every week as we didn’t and don’t train together and simply play for fun, so we soon discovered fairly early on in that following season that even with the combined pulling powers of the ex Civil Service guys, ODA and Science Museum (plus friends hangers on and relatives) we could still not guarantee a full turn out every Saturday.  Thankfully, a chance call to Adam Binks who ran the occasional Queen Mary’s Hospital side proved to be inspirational as some of the lads from the Queen Mary’s Hospital side ie Martin Timms, Adam Binks, Steve Poor, Andy Price were looking to play more than once in a blue moon agreed to join us along with Sion Richards and Alex Wells. This led to SODAM putting out some of the best teams we have put out on a regular basis for the next couple of seasons All alas have since left us for various reasons but the team goes on!  

So here’s to the next take-over Rupert!