They were renamed the 'Victorian Rules' at the meeting and continued to evolve into the game we all know today. 1970'sGreat 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. This list may not reflect recent changes. St Kilda claimed 'that the surface was covered with lumps of rock' and, following a nil-all draw against 'senior' team Albert Park on June 21, 1873, the South Melbourne Record of the same day described the ground as 'bounded on all sides by dangerous fences, and firmly embedded all over the ground were huge boulders of stone; then the rain that had fallen during the past week has converted it into a perfect swamp, in fact, there were not 10 yards of dry ground in the whole enclosure.' The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. He was a Williamstown resident for 45 years and was president of both the Williamstown Cricket Club and Baseball Club when he passed away suddenly on December 22 1909, aged 62. By the end of the 1870's, the Victorian code of rules controlled almost all football matches in Victoria and was exported to other colonies, with compromises and amendments along the way. var addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@'; Played on the wing in the Club's 1907 premiership win, with his brother Jim 'Ginger' Caldwell playing on the other wing. There was also a 1 goal (kicked by Will Outen) to NIL victory over senior team, Richmond, at Royal Park on September 4. The Williamstown Chronicle also reported on 30 June, 1860, (see below) that the football club was to play a 'friendly' scratch match on Market Reserve that day at 10.30 am. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; 396 talking about this. The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. 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. He played one further season in 1884 when Williamstown obtained senior status. Pages in category "Williamstown Football Club players" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. By Paddy Farley. Horace Norman was re-appointed captain for the third consecutive season at the meeting but resigned before the first practice match on April 26. Each of these Premierships hold special memories for our club. The early captains of the team were John Wigmore (1866), C.F. He was a cousin of Tom Wills. 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. The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. Jack Litchfield then became secretary in 1874 and 1875. Mr W.J. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; In country Victoria, the major clubs were now Geelong, Ballarat, Sandhurst and Kyneton. 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. 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. 10 of 'Town's goals (plus 40 behinds) came in a match at Heidelberg on May 24 when the local team failed to score in the most decisive score and victory ever posted by the Villagers to that point in time (see report above). Club Captain in 1903 and 1904 was lured to Footscray and led that club to the 1908 premiership. 03-03-23. Arthur 'Porky' Sykes: Played 124 games and kicked 4 goals between 1926 and 1934. The win was against South Yarra, while the draws were against an Albert Park 15, Essendon, Abbotsford and St. Kilda. Moss and Worrell one each. The first page of the 1859 rules, showing the names of the Melbourne FC committee,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. 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. He did not appear to have played any part in the formation of the VFA and nor was he ever a secretary or delegate of any club. 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.' Bert Reitman: Played 126 games and kicked 10 goals between 1907 and 1914. Explore. 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. var addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML += ''+addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. Alfred Thomas Clark resumed as president in 1873 and would remain in that role until 1875. The founding committee were of the belief that football was not only a good way for cricketers to stay fit over winter but that organised sport helped instil British values, imported from English public schools, of self-sacrifice for a greater cause (for the team and, by extension, the country), that a healthy mind went hand-in-hand with a healthy body, and that such qualities helped make an athlete a role model that others in society could emulate. The modern Australian code can be traced back to these original 'Melbourne rules', which quickly became the 'Victorian rules' and, eventually, 'Australian Rules', and made Australian football the oldest codified form of football in the world. 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. addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; 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. 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. The only other win for the season was over Hotham United. 'The Footballer' publication of 1876 stated 'the denizens of the fishing village have a substantial proof to show of their ability and zeal in pursuit of the manly sport, having won the Junior Challenge Cup after a close run with South Park'. The Williamstown Football Club held its inaugural Hall of Fame function at Crown Casinon Saturday 31st May 2014. I am informed that a deputation from the local football club waited on Mr. Withers, the lessee, asking for the use of the ground to play a match on, which request was refused.' ', Williamstown Chronicle, September 8, 1877. 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. 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). Another brother, Jack, played in 1880. 1864 (merged with South Williamstown 1888) Colours Royal blue and yellow. It was in this season that cricket clubs began courting football clubs to share their grounds and football thus began the transition from free public parks to enclosed grounds and admission fees, a move which financed improvements to the grounds and facilities and secured the future of cricket clubs. The team finished eighth on a ladder of 14 teams. By Paddy Farley The VFL side will take on the Northern Bullants at Highgate Recreation Reserve this Saturday at 10:45am. Played back pocket in the 1921 premiership win over Footscray at the Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. By way of example, St Kilda's proposed visit to Pt Gellibrand on July 13 was cancelled due to the Saints only having 11 players available while East Melbourne cancelled its scheduled game with Williamstown because the East players preferred to watch the Carlton v. Melbourne game. A rover in the Seagulls 1921 premiership win over Footscray. 1888 VFA season. Moss was appointed captain for the forthcoming season with J. Monteith vice-captain. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. Affiliation (Current) Victorian Football League (VFL) 1996-2023. The invitation to participate in formulating rule changes for season 1860 would not have been extended to the Williamstown Club if it did not exist or was not regarded as a bona-fide team by the Melbourne Football Club, which called the meeting. #ProudlyWilliamstown. The defeats were at the hands of North Melbourne (twice), Studley Park and Hawthorn. In 1873, 9 games were played for one win, 5 draws and 3 losses while 3 goals were scored against 8 by the opposition. Second Twenty also did well in this season with 5 wins and 2 draws from its 10 matches. 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'. Stimulated by the example of these latter, Brunswick, Collingwood (notthe current AFL team, which was formed in 1892) andWilliamstown followed suit'. | The Williamstown Football Club competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL). In effect, this meant that clubs could control promotion to, and relegation from, the senior grade by the simple process of including a strong junior team in the senior fixtures, and little progress was made over the next few years due to the selfish club interests which prevented such things as paid umpires, points for wins and draws, boundary umpires, independent tribunals for reported players and a properly drawn-up fixture. A great foot. At the annual meeting in respect of the 1876 season, held at the Mechanics Institute on Electra Street on April 19, 1877, John Jobson was re-elected president, Charles Scott replaced Duncan McLeod as secretary/treasurer, Bob Waycott was re-appointed captain with Billy Haslam as vice-captain for the 1877 season. The 'Rules of Football' as drawn up at the meeting at the Argus Hotel on May 28, 1860, where a Williamstown delegate was present. Monday-Friday: 9am to 5pm; Satuday: 10am to 2pm. ', Geelong won back-to-back premierships and had not lost a game since September 1877, winning 44 consecutive matches. This was before the girls school was built alongside South Williamstown State School. This is generally thought to be the game's first serious injury, and he was attended to by Dr. Edward Figg of Williamstown, who was a vice-president of the Club in 1886. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. 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. linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. John Alexander Springhall senior became just the second president of the Club in 1872 for one year only, replacing Alfred Thomas Clark who had been in the role in 1870 and 1871 but Clark returned to the position in 1873. 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. A total of 7 goals were kicked by the Villagers and had 16 scored against them. Also, 1870 was the first year that the Club had a recorded president in Alfred Thomas Clark, local MLA for 17 years and founder of the Williamstown Advertiser, and local printer, Duncan McLeod, was the first recorded secretary since Hugh Ronald Reid in 1860. J. Charlie was the father of Wyn and Mat Outen who both played in Williamstown's first VFA premiership team in 1907 and were both vice-captains during the season. Williamstown Chronicle, May 14, 1870 - the meeting organised by James Arthur Thompson in an effort to restart the Williamstown Football Club. addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; The only other recorded game in 1866 was on June 9 when Williamstown played H. M. Customs, or the Melbourne Customs Club, at Market Reserve and the match was a nil-all draw 'after two hours hard work and many severe spills on either side', as reported by The Argus on June 11. At the annual meeting held in respect of the 1879 season at the Mechanics Institute on April 7, 1880, E.G. The Parade Hotel on Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, where the original Melbourne rules were drawn up in May 1859 when it was run by Jerry Bryant. The Collingwood team was not connected to the current AFL team. Essendon, Hawthorn and St Kilda (in its second reincarnation) emerged as junior clubs in 1873, but it was only the 'Dons that would go on to become on of the great clubs in football. There was also an issue of players simply failing to turn up for games. Williamstown Chronicle, August 5, 1871 - a report of the game against Wesley College on July 29 which resulting in the Villagers' first recorded victory, 3 goals to NIL. Again no goals were scored and the match was declared a draw. The trophy, which had been presented to the then-president of the Club, Cr John Jobson, by members of the victorious team at a dinner in the Oddfellows Hall, had been purchased by the museum in late 1993. Payne (1870), Horace Norman (1871-73) and D. McCallum (1874-75). 'Town suffered their first and only defeat for the season on July 8 at Albert Park against South Park, in a match described by the Williamstown Chronicle of July 15 as 'since the origin of football in Williamstown, a twenty had never to contend with such despicable and unfair players as represented the South Park on Saturday last. 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. One of the draws was with a strong junior team from Hotham, while they defeated East Melbourne Seconds (twice), South Yarra Seconds and Southern. 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. To view premiership teams click www.williamstown.com.au/premiership-photos. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 'Town defeated a St Kilda team of only 13 players two goals to nil at Williamstown on June 23. Watch this highlight video of the Williamstown (WV) football team in its game Recap: Williamstown vs. Clay-Battelle 2022 on Nov 12, 2022. The 1876 Junior Challenge Cup, won by Williamstown, was discovered at the Australian Gallery of Sport (now the Australian Sports Museum) at the MCG in 1995 by James Grzonek, son of Club historian, Ray Grzonek. A four time B&B winner in 1930, 31, 32 and 1933. Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps clothing and apparel! Essendon and West Melbourne were new senior clubs in the VFA in 1878, while the organisation of fixtures continued to be a problem and only nine games of the 16 proposed by Williamstown in 1878 were played. Our Major Partners. The Official Facebook page of the Williamstown Football Club. Ajax, in full Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also called AFC Ajax, Dutch professional football (soccer) club formed in 1900 in Amsterdam. They provide training for girls, and there are various three-day football camps throughout the year. Williamstown's longest-serving president, Trevor Monti, has a keen interest in the famous Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly, and was adamant that Kelly played 11 games with the Seagulls in 1873 as a 'tough centre half-back with unconventional tactics'. Geelong Football Club came into existence on July 18, 1859, at a meeting in the Victoria Hotel on the corner of Moorabool and Malop Streets in Geelong, where Wills amalgamated several small clubs to achieve this and also became its first captain. Wills also captained Melbourne in a game against St Kilda on July 7, while Harrison also played for Melbourne against Geelong later in the year. The premiership was won by the South Melbourne Football Club. Its home ground was where the current Williamstown High School now is. The language of these unwelcome visitors was anything but select at times.'. 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. Statue of Alfred Thomas Clark in Williamstown Botanical Gardens, the Football Club's first recorded president in 1870 and who would serve 11 years in that role over three terms (1870-71, 1873-1875 and 1882-1887). 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. It is more than likely that the Club would have played a few unrecorded matches during the period 1867-69 around the district against other local teams that were not worthy of reporting because it was often difficult to organise matches in the metropolitan competitions, due to the distance and the poor condition of Market Reserve. Andrew Rider, a photographer, stationer and newsagent located at 55 (now 177) Nelson Place, Williamstown, from 1863-96 took this portrait which is described on the State Library of Victoria website as being of 't. 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. Players Profile VFL. VFL Premierships 2003, 2015 (2 . A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League . . Williamstown FC - Team of the Century Full Back Line: Eric Beitzel Games: 113 Goals: 0 Team of the Century Position: Back pocket Honours: Premiership player - 1955, 56, 58, 59. var addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = 'admin' + '@'; The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at theGardens (Fearon) Reserve onJune 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. 'The Footballer' publication of 1879 stated that the 'Fishing Village is strong in football, and musters three clubs, Williamstown, North Williamstown and Battery United .. although there is not much to choose between the last two. Williamstown Football Club won a premiership in each decade of the 1900's except the second 1907, 1921, 1939, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1969 (Second Division), 1976 (Second Division), 1986 and 1990, followed by two more in 2003 and 2015. 471 following. More Videos; Nov 13 . Click to see who will be lining up this weekend for Williamstown. These were four of the 9 games played during the season, of which only 2 were won, 5 lost and 2 drawn. Also, following the annual meeting of club delegates/secretaries at Nissen's Cafe in Bourke Street on May 12, a new rule was introduced that players could only represent one club during the year. The Leader of July 22 reported that 'Melbourne had a stroll in the park against juniors Williamstown on the Melbourne Ground (not the MCG). John Rees, pictured here when he was the first Town Clerk of Williamstown, began his long career with the Williamstown Football Club in 1874. North Melbourne Kangaroos Past Players Lidge's Lounge. Clark and McLeod held those posts for two seasons until replaced by John Alexander Springhall snr (president) and Charles Piper (secretary) for the 1872 season before Clark and McLeod resumed their roles in 1873. The Australasian newspaper, when reviewing the senior and more important junior clubs at the end of the 1870 season, listed Williamstown amongst 'Other Clubs' and gratuitously added that the brief reference was 'just to show that the existence of the club was not entirely forgotten'. 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.' This state of affairs were not uncommon around the 1870's and, even if Williamstown played only one or two scratch matches, or none at all, it is entitled to claim a continuity of existence from a much earlier point as there were no other clubs playing in Williamstown at that time. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 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. Football, Cricket, Netball and Darts, plus a fantastic Oval and Function Venue for Hire, with fully. The Melbourne Football Club was re-formed on May 14, 1859, at the Parade Hotel, East Melbourne, (later named the MCG Hotel) after a scratch match against South Yarra on Richmond Paddock (now known as Yarra Park). Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. There was also a 1 goal (kicked by Will Outen) to NIL victory over senior team, Richmond, at Royal Park on September 4. 1959 Premiership player, represented VFA in 1960, played in 1961 and 64. Neither Hawthorn or St Kilda were connected to the current AFL clubs. 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)'. Williamstown's newly-reformedSecond Twenty also did well in this season with 5 wins and 2 draws from its 10 matches. Wills committed suicide on May 2, 1880, aged just 44. 3,008 were here. Professional Sports Team. We think Waycott, the Williamstown captain, should have stopped the match at a very early stage.' There was allegedly another game between Melbourne Grammar and a St Kilda team at St Kilda on July 31 that was abandoned due to a dispute over the rules. It was decided at a meeting of junior clubs held at Hansen's Hotel on Bourke Street in April of 1876, that the winner of the Junior Challenge Cup, to be contested by Fawkner, Sandridge Alma, St Kilda Alma, South Park, South Melbourne, Windsor and Williamstown, would be decided by the awarding of points for wins (2 points) and draws (1 point), a system that would beeventually adopted by the VFA in the late 1880's. As a clerical officer at the Customs Department, Harrison was well-equipped for this task and his rules, freely drawn from all codes including rugby and its Gaelic offspring, were adopted unanimously by his colleagues at a subsequent meeting. 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. What we now call Australian Rules football was played in Victoria and the other colonies from the 1840's, but in 1858 it came into greater prominence when some cricketers, football enthusiasts and schoolboys played a number of scratch matches on the Richmond Paddock in Melbourne. The Leader newspaper of 28 June 1873 very similarly described it as 'one of the worst grounds that could be selected for football purposes, as, independent of being a regular quagmire, it is covered in several places with very dangerous obstacles in the shape of large pieces of bluestone.'. . 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. Back pocket player in the 1907 premiership. 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. West Melbourne visited Williamstown on September 1, 1877, and The Argus reported two days later that 'West Melbourne complained of the partiality of the crowd, and stated that the team was hooted all the way to the railway station because it beat the local players.' 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. Williamstown FC Signings Hub All the Seagulls listed below have signed up and a roaring to play in season 2023 VFL Captained the Club in 1911 and 1915 also. The Club had a total of 86 members in this season. It was not unusual for the Club to have to make up the season's programme with matches against the local rowing club, bowling club or even the soldiers from Fort Gellibrand. 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. We are also a proud member of Football . 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. (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. 4 PLAYERS. 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. Click on the link below to view one of Bruce Davis' productions on the early days of the Williamstown Football Club, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgXixsEPKM8&feature=youtu.be. Some 500 of the Parkites' usual spectators, consisting of the real larrikin element of Emerald Hill, mustered upon this occasion to obstruct in every possible way the Williamstown players. addybb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = addybb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; The player welfare and development scene has completely changed over the past decade in Australian Rules Football and Williamstown is taking the steps to ensure the best for their players in and outside the four walls of DSV Stadium. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. T. Crane was appointed captain of the Second Twenty for 1878 with C. Hernan vice-captain. Ajax is the Netherlands' most successful club and is best known for producing a series of entertaining attacking teams. At the completion of the season, the Cup was awarded to Williamstown, which won 10 of its 12 games with one draw to beat a team called South Park by just one point, 21 to 20, followed by South Melbourne (15 points) and Fawkner Park (13 points). Power and B. James), Royal Park (J.E. The result is that a boy crossing the paddock on Sunday last got a kick from one of the horses and, is now . in a very precarious state.