The Club had a total of 86 members in this season. One of the new 'junior' clubs that emerged was Cecil, which would soon become South Melbourne and would go on to win five VFA premierships, an effort only surpassed by Geelong during the pre-VFL era. By Paddy Farley. Shop for your Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps spirit wear here! 1888 VFA season. The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. A. Fowler was elected captain of the Second Twenty with three vice-captains in Litchfield, Percy and Jamieson. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The Williamstown Independent newspaper reported on 2 June 1860 (see below) that 'the members of this newly-formed Club enjoyed their first game on Saturday last.' The premiership was won by the South Melbourne Football Club. The crowd also encroached on the ground and interfered with the play, any good play on the part of our team being hooted in a shameful manner. What's new. It was also reported that, at the annual meeting for the 1872 season, held at the Mechanics Institute on April 1 1873, that 'the committee hopes to be able to start a second twenty, owing to the great increase of members'. In the return match at Williamstown on July 2 1866, after Carlton's Jim Williams kicked the opening goal, William Rigall, a Melbourne and Carlton player who had agreed to play for Williamstown as an emergency, broke his leg after being thrown into the picket fence by Carlton's Frank Hillsden and the game was abandoned. A great football club is a place to belong. His new set of ten rules became the code under which most other clubs eventually played and earned Harrison the title of 'The Father of Football'. The other game against a senior team was a one-nil loss at St Kilda on May 25 when the Saints started off with just nine players but picked up enough substitutes to eventually muster sixteen men. A four time B&B winner in 1930, 31, 32 and 1933. The Second Twenty had a more successful season, playing 9 matches of which five were won, two lost with two draws. The first 'official' recorded game of Australian Rules football is thought to have been a meeting between Scotch College and the Melbourne Church of England Grammar School on 7 August, 1858, at the Richmond Paddock where 40 players on each team battled for three hours under agreed rules which were not written down. With the demise of the Williamstown Alliance Cricket Club, which amalgamated with the older Williamstown Cricket Club in 1861, it is possible that the football club merely went into recess until 1864 or that any matches that did occur in this period were simply not reported on by the newspapers of the day. The Collingwood team was not connected to the current AFL team. He was also elected to the committee of the Melbourne Cricket Club in 1871 and was vice-president from 1892 until his death in 1929 at the age of 92. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. All copies of the 1859 rules were thought to be lost, presumably destroyed, until a copy was discovered in a tin trunk at the MCG in 1980. Wills committed suicide on May 2, 1880, aged just 44. This is confirmed in a report in the Chronicle of May 15 1874 that 'it was resolved to adopt a knickerbocker uniform of blue and white'. Played on the wing in the Club's 1907 premiership win, with his brother Jim 'Ginger' Caldwell playing on the other wing. With 104 members, a good ground, sound administration, the Challenge Cup and a Seconds and Thirds teams, it seemed that Williamstown was due for senior status, but that would not happen until 1884, despite secretary Duncan McLeod's best efforts. People who participate in a great football club, form deep and lasting relationships that nurture and shape who they become as human beings. From this point in time, the Williamstown Football Club would continue uninterrupted until today except for the recesses in 1916-18, inclusive, in respect of World War One and 1942-44, inclusive, in respect of World War Two and 2020/2021 as a result of the Coronavirus/COVID 19 epidemic. Watch this highlight video of the Williamstown (WV) football team in its game Recap: Williamstown vs. Clay-Battelle 2022 on Nov 12, 2022. It was also reported in the Williamstown Chronicle of August 12 (refer report below) 'the match, which lasted about two hours, was a well-contested one. Furthermore, in the Williamstown Chronicle of Saturday, 16 June, 1860, (see below) Williamstown Alliance invited interested locals to meet at their ground, Market Reserve, for football practice. Reels. The game against East Melbourne on July 6 was moved to the Gardens (Fearon) Reserve owing to 'the wet state of the Market Reserve' as was the game against South Yarra Seconds on July 27. Williamstown's comparative slow advancement in the football world was not in keeping with its importance to Melbourne as a port, but communication and transport were difficult and militated against regular visits by the clubs of the inner suburbs. After 1866 there again appears to be another period of inactivity or temporary recess by Williamstown with no records of any games played, although in Pennings' book Williamstown is still listed as a minor/junior club for the 1869 season. The result was decided in the last game of the season against South Melbourne at Albert Park which resulted in a 2-0 win to Williamstown. Pages in category "Williamstown Football Club players" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. In a landmark event in football's development, at a meeting on May 22, 1872, at Garton's Hotel in Swanston Street, club delegates/secretaries amended the 1866 rules including a change of ends after half-time instead of each time a goal was scored and authority for umpires to interpret the rules and call infringements and award free kicks rather than just being an arbiter in disputes between captains. Thomas McKinley: Played 107 games and kicked 27 goals between 1897 and 1908. There was also a game against an East Melbourne Twenty at Williamstown on August 5 which, it was reported in The Argus of August 7, that 'resulted, after a well-contested game, in a decisive victory for the former' (East Melbourne), two goals to nil. In 1888, the dispute was settled and two football clubs amalgamated; and, through an organisational affiliation with the cricket club the Williamstown Cricket . Captain and back pocket player in the 1907 premiership win over West Melbourne. The opposition kicked 15. Williamstown Football Club | 1 034 fljare p LinkedIn. John Ramsay Games: 125 Goals: 6 Team of the . Dec 19, 2022. In April 1879, The Argus reported that the Williamstown Council 'resolved to give the local football club permission to play their matches for the coming season in the Gardens Reserve', then regarded as one of the best grounds in the Colony, but not on a permanent basis because the oval was still subject to casual lettings by the Council. Our aim is to build a strong foundation that is both professional and sustainable and sets Port Melbourne Football Club up as a destination club for female and male footballers, coaches, staff and volunteers. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Harold Johns: Played 125 games and kicked 47 goals between 1925 and 1934. Moss and Worrell one each. The early captains of the team were John Wigmore (1866), C.F. Richmond appeared on the scene in 1860 but originated out of the cricket club and was not related to the current AFL team and Tom Wills and Henry Harrison both moved across from Melbourne to play with them, with Wills becoming captain of his third club. Groups. South Melbourne became a senior club in 1879 while Barwon dropped out and St Kilda, after struggling to field a team for most of the year, disbanded again in early September. Hugh Ronald Reid was elected the first secretary and treasurer of the football club and also played. A notable change to the game occurred in 1879 when behinds were registered for the first time although they still weren't counted in the result and the winner was still the side that kicked the most goals. John Rees, pictured here when he was the first Town Clerk of Williamstown, began his long career with the Williamstown Football Club in 1874. Although he was an excellent player, Wills concentrated on the organisastional side of the game and put in a terrific amount of work starting new clubs around Victoria and in adjacent colonies, and the advancement of the game suffered a great blow with his untimely death in 1880. TRAILBLAZERS: 1864 - 1900. Home Ground Williamstown Cricket Ground. A total of 14 goals were kicked by the Seconds and had 8 scored against them. The 'J. By 1875, there were 96 Australian Rules football clubs in Melbourne and its suburbs and 42 clubs in regional areas. North would rapidly achieve 'senior' status by 1874. The Club was formed in 1864 and has won 15 Premierships in the history of the VFA/VFL competition, including 13 in Division 1, and 2 in . The 1888 Victorian Football Association season was the 12th season of the Australian rules football competition. The Chronicle stated on May 28 that 'thanks to the exertions of Mr Thompson, a sufficient amount was collected last week to purchase a ball and on Saturday afternoon about a dozen players had a friendly game'. var addybb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@'; The match was lost one goal to NIL. The Seconds played 9 matches of which 3 were won, 5 lost and 1 drawn, with 11 goals scored by the team and having 14 kicked against them. 1867 saw a proliferation of new clubs emerging, including a second Fitzroy team, East Melbourne, Rysleigh (from the South Melbourne district) and Pentridge. He was the first vice-president of the VFA in 1877 and was president of Melbourne from 1897 to 1906. document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML = ''; Williamstown ventured to Geelong for the first time in 1878 and lost six goals to nil on the Argyle Paddock on July 6, but fielded a weakened side due to several of the best players, including John Kilgour, future captains D. Burke and J. Monteith, and J. Davidson, 'being unable to get away from business, and their places had to be filled by Second Twenty men.' The Second Twenty were more successful, winning 5 of their 12 matches, losing 3 with 4 draws. The next attempt to reform the football club appears to have been in 1864, although there are no records in existence or newspaper articles to testify to that fact, although Pennings wrote in his book that 'Williamstown reappeared after an absence of some years (in 1865)'. Under the coaching of Jack Reynolds in three . It has been argued by some that an indigenous form of football called marn-grook influenced Tom Wills, who incorporated its elements into the 'Melbourne' rules. Starting in 1884, the club competed in the Victorian Football Association. Melbourne had been first formed on July 31, 1858, when a code of rules had been written after a scratch match on the Richmond Paddock organised by James Mark 'Jerry' Bryant, licencsee of the Parade Hotel from early 1958, but these were based on school football rules but made simpler so they were easier to follow and were based to some extent on the book 'Tom Brown's School Days'. The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at theGardens (Fearon) Reserve onJune 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. South Melbourne also arose out of the amalgamation of Emerald Hill and Albert Park in May but reverted to the Emerald Hill name the following year and then Albert Park in 1869, while Royal Park disbanded. The 2023 Carlton Football Club season will be the Carlton Football Club's 160th season of competition.. Williamstown Football Club home of the Seagulls since 1864. The Argus of June 23 1873 stated that 'the Williamstown ground, which is .. one of the worst that could be selected for football purposes, as independent of being almost a quagmire, it is covered in different places with large pieces of bluestone which makes it very dangerous to play upon.' Mr W.J. ', Geelong won back-to-back premierships and had not lost a game since September 1877, winning 44 consecutive matches. Williamstown Chronicle, September 2, 1876. Clarke and Chadwick) and South Yarra (G. O'Mullane and H. Murray). www.williamstown.com.au/premiership-photos, VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. Captain of the past three seasons, Bob Waycott, departed for Sydney at the end of the year and was replaced by D. Burke with P. Conroy vice-captain. Appealing to the central umpire was useless, that responsible functionary filling his post so unsatisfactorily that is was compulsory to relieve him of his duties, but his successor did not in the slightest degree remedy matters. To see more of Trevor Monti's views on Ned Kelly, click on the following link to a clip from Channel 31's Local Footy Show. Alfred Thomas Clark resumed as president in 1873 and would remain in that role until 1875. In 1865, the Athletics Sports Committee began a competition for football clubs that was known as the Challenge Cup, with the principal competitors being Melbourne, Carlton, Geelong, Royal Park, South Yarra and University, but games were often played against 'junior' clubs such as Williamstown, which were allowed 23 or 25 players against the senior club's 20 players. var addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloak411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef').innerHTML += ''+addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. Further evidence as to the origins of Williamstown Football Club being attributable to 1860. Furthermore, the publication entitled 'The Footballer' of 1875 noted that 'at the beginning of 1864, football, which had been growing in favour, received additional impetus from the advent of Emerald Hill, Royal Park and Carlton. This email address is being protected from spambots. T. Crane was appointed captain of the Second Twenty for 1878 with C. Hernan vice-captain. For more information . He came ashore each day to work on construction of the sea walls and later on the artillery bunkers adjacent to the cricket ground. var addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML += ''+addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. An improved total of 19 goals were scored while 22 were kicked against the Villagers. Again no goals were scored and the match was declared a draw. PAST PLAYERS DAY TOMORROW Featuring the '93 Premiership Reunion - 25th Anniversary 12:00pm kick-off in Coccha's Marquee @ Crofts Reserve. In this article, it was also stated that Jack Litchfield was 'one of the most brainy players that perhaps Williamstown has ever produced. Another local club, North Williamstown, emerged in 1879 and, although destined to be no more than a junior club, it nevertheless made its mark on local football history by fielding three teams and producing a number of senior players for Williamstown and other clubs. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. ETU Stadium, 541 Williamstown Road, Port . On a more positive note, it was reported that 'the number of members obtained during the season reached the large number of 109, which is the largest number yet obtained since the formation of the club'. T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, sweat pants, hats, mugs and more. A 'Third Twenty' was also formed in this season and took to the field for the first time against Battery United at Market Reserve on July 8, winning 4 goals to 2. The win was against South Yarra, while the draws were against an Albert Park 15, Essendon, Abbotsford and St. Kilda. It also enhanced recruitment. He was also the tide officer at Customs and lived and worked in Williamstown in 1853. This was before the girls school was built alongside South Williamstown State School. Bridget, whose maiden name was Cross, is believed to be distantly related to Mark Cross, who played for Williamstown from 1975-79, being captain in his final season, played 74 games and kicked 125 goals, including the 1976 premiership. For some unknown reason, the Club did not appear to continue with the 'Third Twenty' in 1877. . A major change occured in the game in 1879 when behinds were recorded for the first time although they didn't count towards the result of matches and the team that kicked the most goals was still the winner. An important change was made in the rules just before the 1869 season began. Directly the ball was sent on its journey no less than twenty individuals rushed from the crowd and made themselves as conspicuous in the match as their friends, the Park club. Williamstown Football Club. Wills was captain of Melbourne in 1858-1859, Richmond in 1860 and Geelong in 1867-1868 and 1872-1873. A half back flanker and regular VFL representative. He coached 'Town in 1994. A total of 16 goals were kicked by the Villagers against 1 kicked by the opposition. (Jack) Field Medal winners: Best and Fairest in Second Division Ian Nankervis (1968) and Colin Boyd (1976), To see all williamstown premiership sides please click on the link belowPremiership Photos, To see williamstown football club team of the century click on the link belowWilliamstown team of the century. We are also a proud member of Football . Height: 191cm Weight: 90kg DOB: 06/04/2002 VFL Debut: 2022 Below is Shortty's recollections of his involvement with the Gulls Coterie and the Football Club in general, over the journey. Official Instagram page of the Williamstown Football Club. A letter to the editor of the Williamstown Chronicle in the edition dated August 12, 1871 (refer above), stated that 'some years ago a site was granted to the borough council of Williamstown for market purposes, but instead . it was let to some private person for grazing their cattle and horses on. There is only a three-rail fence around it, and no notice up cautioning persons not to trespass, and it is generally believed that the reserve is a public one. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Club Captain in 1903 and 1904 was lured to Footscray and led that club to the 1908 premiership. The 'Rules of Football' as drawn up at the meeting at the Argus Hotel on May 28, 1860, where a Williamstown delegate was present. Another son, Alby snr, played for Footscray in both the VFA and VFL, while his son (Charlie's grandson), Alby jnr, played in Williamstown's 1955 and 1956 premiership sides. Clubs also began to appear in regional areas, with Sandhurst forming in 1861 (captained by James Thompson, who was one of the MCC committee who drew up the 1859 Melbourne rules) and a Ballarat side in 1862, together with Bendigo, Kangaroo Flat and Maryborough. The Australasian on October 21 named Billy Haslam, A. Murray, J. Rees, John Kilgour, J. Davidson, captain Bob Waycott, Tom Monteith and Sutton as best players for the Villagers during the season. 4 PLAYERS. Leading goalkicker was again vice-captain, P. Conroy, with 6, with half of these coming in the Heidelberg match, followed by Jack Litchfield with 4, J. Goble 3, and W. Senior, C. Cardwell, A. Fowler, J. Jamieson, E.G. Charles George 'Charlie' Outen, pictured here in 1914 aged in his 50's, played for Williamstown from 1874 until 1877 and played all those years with his brother, Will. Four Williamstown men have been President of the Victorian Football Association James Hall (1901-02), J.J. Liston (1929-44, he of the Liston Medal and Liston Stakes and the second-longest serving VFA president), John Grieve (1989-1992) and Tony Hannebery (1993-94, former player, 10-year President of WFC and former All-Australian Amateur footballer). One of the draws was with a strong junior team from Hotham, while they defeated East Melbourne Seconds (twice), South Yarra Seconds and Southern. 300 copies of the Victorian Rules were printed and distributed amongst the various clubs. William J. Hammersley (a sports journalist), James B. Thompson (an Argus journalist and secretary of the Melbourne FC), Thomas H.Smith (headmaster of Scotch College) and Tom W. Wills, as well as J. Sewell (Melbourne FC treasurer), Alex Bruce and T. Butterworth. In this instance, there appears to be confusion about the year the Club was re-formed with the actual year of its formation. They provide training for girls, and there are various three-day football camps throughout the year. A new entity from North Melbourne arrived on the scene in 1869 to replace Royal Park, along with Albion (from the South Melbourne district), Carlton United, East Brunswick, Northcote and Surrey (from the Richmond area). So, although there is documented proof that a Williamstown team existed in 1860, there appeared to be a period of inactivity which was not uncommon in those early days of our game, where clubs would form one year, go into recess the next and then reappear again at a later stage. C. Sluse was elected skipper of the Seconds with R. Dalton his deputy. VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. This statue has been located in the Gardens since 1891, following Clark's death at sea in 1888. Football, Cricket, Netball and Darts, plus a fantastic Oval and Function Venue for Hire, with fully. Main Page . This year also saw the demise of South Yarra, which finally disbanded after several mediocre seasons. This video is the recollections and thoughts of the players who have formed and been moulded by the Williamstown Football Club.Williamstown Football Club celebrates and honours the teams and players of the 1970s. There are also references to the fact that Williamstown Football Club was formed in 1870, which is known to be incorrect as the club was reorganised for a second time in that year. Mark Fotheringham (Australian footballer), Dick Harris (Australian rules footballer), Ben Kennedy (Australian rules footballer), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Williamstown_Football_Club_players&oldid=867053321, This page was last edited on 3 November 2018, at 09:17. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. 10K followers. 1970s Mal Allen (Coach 1976-77)Great football clubs are more than successful on and off the field; they are more than a place to play and enjoy the game of Aussie Rules. There was an important meeting in the history of the game on May 8, 1866, at the Freemasons Hotel which was chaired by Henry Harrison, when club delegates undertook a revision of the original 'Melbourne' 1859 rules, which were refined and supplemented, the key changes relating to running and carrying the ball and bouncing it at intervals. They kicked a total of 13 goals, with F. Raymer leading the way with 3 majors and J. Rees 2. 'The Footballer' commented that 'St Kilda, having won on its own ground, sent a ridiculous team to The Vliiage, and there bit the dust for her stupidity.' The May 17, 1859, 'Melbourne Rules', later renamed 'Victorian Rules' following the meeting in May, 1860. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Williamstown Chronicle, May 31, 1879 - Williamstown's highest score and greatest winning margin to date was achieved in a game at Heidelberg on May 24, 1879. Harrison took over as captain of Melbourne. St Kilda amalgamated with University in late June of 1875 when it became unable to field a team. The article went on to state that 'the first match of the season was appointed to take place on the Queen's Birthday', which was a scratch match. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League . More Videos; Nov 13 . By 1870, there were only four major clubs: Melbourne, Carlton, Albert Park and South Yarra with about two-dozen junior clubs playing in Melbourne's parks at the beginning of the decade. R. Murray was leading goalscorer with a total of 7, with J.Rees, Will Outen and P. Conroy kicking 2 goals each and H. Haslam, John Kilgour and J.K. Ogilvie Smith each scoring one major. Click to see who will be lining up this weekend for Williamstown, Ben Andrews will be at DSV Stadium in 2023, Click here to find out who has came back to the nest, Powered by ChronoForms - ChronoEngine.com, Admin Office Address: Seagulls Nest, Level 1, 1 Mason Street, Newport 3015, Ground Address:Williamstown Football Ground, Morris Street, Williamstown 3016. It was a tribute to Harrison that once again his rules were adopted unanimously and clubs were springing up all over Victoria. History Talk (0) Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Players of Williamstown Football Club. One solution was the establishment of a Junior Challenge Cup in 1872 by the Athletic Sports Committee to cater for the second tier clubs such as Williamstown, East Melbourne, Richmond, South Melbourne, West Melbourne and Brunswick, as by 1875 clubs had been divided into three categories - senior, junior and minor.