There was also another game at Williamstown on September 2 against the Southern Club which, according to The Argus on the following Monday, 'the Williamstown men won, obtaining a goal kicked by A. It was the third premiership in the club's history, and the first out of a sequence of three consecutive premierships won from 1888 to 1890. Williamstown's 1877 annual report revealed that 12 games were played in that season, of which only 2 were won, 8 lost and 2 draws. Wills was the first captain of Melbourne in 1859 and Harrison was a teammate. North would rapidly achieve 'senior' status by 1874. 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. Bert Reitman: Played 126 games and kicked 10 goals between 1907 and 1914. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. 300 copies of the Victorian Rules were printed and distributed amongst the various clubs. A total of 7 goals were kicked for the year, of which P. Conroy scored 5 and R. Dalton jnr and J. Rees kicked one each, while 15 goals were scored by opponents. Captain, John Wigmore, Hunter and Sutton were best for 'Town, while future president of Williamstown, the local MLA for 17 years and founder of the Williamstown Advertiser, Alfred Thomas Clark, represented the Customs team. Apart from these gentleman, Bryant was one of Melbourne's early officials and did a lot of work for the advancement of the game, while Tom Jones became a prolific writer of the game for publications such as The Footballer and The Australasian. 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.' It was reported in the Australasian on August 2 that 'Melbourne scored four goals against juniors Williamstown on July 26 but should have had many more . but the Williamstown goal umpire, due to some ocular defect, reduced the number of goals awarded as compared with those kicked to about half'. 4 PLAYERS. In 1873, 9 games were played for one win, 5 draws and 3 losses while 3 goals were scored against 8 by the opposition. 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. Richmond disappeared in 1862 while St Kilda disbanded in 1863 due to insufficient numbers to field a side but re-emerged in 1873. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. North Melbourne and St Kilda entered the 'senior' ranks of football in 1874, competing with Carlton, Melbourne, Geelong and Albert Park. Affiliation (Historical) Victorian Football Association (VFA) 1884-1995. Shortty: My first memories of engagement with the Williamstown Football Club go back to the latter years of the Second World War, which would have been around 1945/46 when the VFA resumed after the recess for the war. The playing on both sides was very spirited, and, even though the Williamstonians exerted themselves most manfully, they were unable to get a goal, the superior playing of the East Melbourne team getting them two goals'. Battery United's colours were blue and white, and it may have been at this stage that Williamstown, whose original colours were dark blue knickerbockers, guernsey and hose with a blue cap with a white stripe down the centre, adopted black and yellow in 1884 when Williamstown entered the VFA due to Geelong already having a dark blue and white uniform. Ben Andrews will be at DSV Stadium in 2023. These were four of the 9 games played during the season, of which only 2 were won, 5 lost and 2 drawn. 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. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Also, in the Williamstown Advertiser of May 2, 1925, an article by 'Old Timer' states that the Club's original colours were 'blue jersey, knickers and hose, and a blue cap with a white band running from front to back.' Wally Carter and Terry Wheeler both coached VFL/AFL teams after success at Williamstown. 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 Second Twenty were more successful, winning 5 of their 12 matches, losing 3 with 4 draws. This was before the girls school was built alongside South Williamstown State School. The Challenge Cup and the Junior Challenge Cup were discontinued with the formation of the first controlling body, the VFA. Another brother, Jack, played in 1880. 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. Each of these Premierships hold special memories for our club. Williamstown Chronicle, May 14, 1870 - the meeting organised by James Arthur Thompson in an effort to restart the Williamstown Football Club. Horace Norman was re-appointed captain for the third consecutive season at the meeting but resigned before the first practice match on April 26. Williamstown Chronicle, May 15, 1875 - at a meeting held at the Mechanics' Institute in Electra Street on Monday, May 10, 1875, it was resolved to adopt a 'knickerbocker uniform of blue and white.'. The Club had a total of 86 members in this season. In 1872, the Chronicle reported that, of the ten matches played by the Club that season, four games were won, three were lost and three were drawn. This email address is being protected from spambots. They provide training for girls, and there are various three-day football camps throughout the year. Further evidence as to the origins of Williamstown Football Club being attributable to 1860. One of these matches was on August 1 where it was reported in The Argus two days later that the 'Williamstown Club sent a team to Hawthorn to play the local club, but the game was brought to an abrupt conclusion in consequence of the Williamstown men declining to play any longer with the umpire, who they considered was not impartial.' 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.' 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. Back pocket player in the 1907 premiership. In 1874, the Club played 12 matches, six of which were won, three were lost and three drawn. Buchanan' referred to in the article is John Buchanan, who would later die by drowning along with five colleagues in the Spotswood sewerage tunnel disaster on Good Friday, 1895, aged 38. 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). ETU Stadium, 541 Williamstown Road, Port . In country Victoria, the major clubs were now Geelong, Ballarat, Sandhurst and Kyneton. The inaugural VFA premier team, Carlton, also paid a visit to The Village for the first time on August 17, drew a crowd of 5,000 to the Gardens Reserve and won by a single goal, 2-1. Membership totalled 64 in this season. 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'. #ProudlyWilliamstown. FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF THE FABULOUS HISTORY OF THE WILLIAMSTOWN FOOTBALL CLUB FROM 1880 TO THE PRESENT DAY, PLEASE REFER TO THE RESPECTIVE DECADES UNDER THE 'HISTORY' TAB. 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. 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. Another issue was the fact that players were not bound to any one club so having the same group of players each week could not be relied upon. He was a cousin of Henry Harrison. It was the club's seventh VFA premiership, and the last won by its senior team. Stanbridge also won the VFA Medal the same year, as did Neville Huggins in 1937, Arthur Cutting in 1938 and Des Fothergill in 1941. There were no further alterations before the formation of the VFA in 1877. 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. Thompson was also a long-serving member of the Williamstown Cricket Club, and was its secretary in 1888 when he drew up the agreement by which the football club finally agreed to utilise the present cricket ground for all their home games after the merger with South Williamstown. document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML = ''; 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. At the annual meeting held in respect of the 1879 season at the Mechanics Institute on April 7, 1880, E.G. Williamstown Football Club. The Official Facebook page of the Williamstown Football Club. 1887 . In 1888, the dispute was settled and two football clubs amalgamated; and, through an organisational affiliation with the cricket club the Williamstown Cricket . The first record of Williamstown winning a game was reported in the Chronicle on August 5, 1871, when it defeated Wesley College three goals to nil a week earlier (refer report below). This attempt by a University professor to stage an intercolonial match between Victoria and South Australia at the MCG under lights were attended by large crowds but were deemed a fiasco due to the poor quality of the lights, which were described in the Williamstown Chronicle of August 16 as being 'fitful and irregular. 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. Moss was appointed captain for the forthcoming season with J. Monteith vice-captain. The language of these unwelcome visitors was anything but select at times.'. Norman McDonald: Played 106 games and kicked 148 goals between 1919 and 1930. footballers, whole-length, almost full face, man on right chin curtain beard and moustache, both in blue and white uniforms of long sleeved pullovers, pants with striped socks and caps, both standing, man on right with hands on hips, image dated 1879'. Williamstown had an indifferent season but did manage to play a game against Melbourne which was lost, 2.0 to 0.1. The 1886 Victorian Football Association season was the 10th season of the Australian rules football competition. This list may not reflect recent changes. 03-03-23. 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. People who participate in a great football club, form deep and lasting relationships that nurture and shape who they become as human beings. 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. Below is Shortty's recollections of his involvement with the Gulls Coterie and the Football Club in general, over the journey. It was a tribute to Harrison that once again his rules were adopted unanimously and clubs were springing up all over Victoria. var addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML += ''+addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. Williamstown Chronicle, September 2, 1876. Appointed coach for the 1913 season and remained as captain in 1914. He was also the tide officer at Customs and lived and worked in Williamstown in 1853. Leading goalscorer was J. Goble with 5 followed by J. Minto with 3, C. Percy 2 while F. Raymer, Jack Litchfield, H. Cardwell, C. Hernan, T. Wauchope, B. Vaughan and Cooper got one each. 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. Whilst no records can be found of any games in 1870, the Club must have been in existence due to the reference in the 1875 edition of 'The Footballer' to the 'new edition of Williamstown, which was formed in 1870.' Posts. A Fitzroy team also appeared in 1864 but was a different club to that which joined the Victorian Football Association (VFA)in 1884. Williamstown's stats have been entered for the 52-20 win @ James Monroe on 12/3/2022 . There was also a return match at Gardens (Fearon) Reserve against St Kilda on July 19 which was won two goals to NIL but, as the Williamstown Chronicle of July 26 reported, the Saints 'had a very weak team, several of their best players not turning up.' The only other win for the season was over Hotham United. 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. Mr James Arthur Thompson, who played for the Club in the 1860's & 1870's, was instrumental in affecting the reorganisation of the football club once again in 1870, and it was reported in The Argus on May 23 that 'a meeting of the club will be held at the Mechanics Institute on Tuesday next for the purpose of thoroughly organising the club'. 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. 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. The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. Harrison acted as codifier of a final list of thirteen rules, which were signed off by the representatives of Melbourne (Harrison and R.W. The Williamstown Football Club held its inaugural Hall of Fame function at Crown Casinon Saturday 31st May 2014. 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. Neither Hawthorn or St Kilda were connected to the current AFL clubs. ** The award was then known as The VFA Medal. This email address is being protected from spambots. Pages in category "Williamstown Football Club players" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. There was also an issue of players simply failing to turn up for games. var addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloak411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef').innerHTML += ''+addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. 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). Monday-Friday: 9am to 5pm; Satuday: 10am to 2pm. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Williamstown's newly-reformedSecond Twenty also did well in this season with 5 wins and 2 draws from its 10 matches. 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. 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. 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. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at the. Second Twenty also did well in this season with 5 wins and 2 draws from its 10 matches. He returned to Williamstown in 1882 after the amalgamation with Battery United and became captain in 1883. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League . Registration- admin@williamstownfc.com.au Sponsorship opportunities available w/prominent branding on course. Williamstown finished fourth on the list of 'leading junior clubs' at the end of 1875, winning 5 games out of the 9 played, with 3 draws and just the one loss, in the best result in the Club's brief history. 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.' Arthur 'Porky' Sykes: Played 124 games and kicked 4 goals between 1926 and 1934. addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; 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. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; 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. 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.' New captain, D. McCallum, who had replaced Horace Norman in this season, led his men off the field in protest when he failed to have the umpire changed after a bad decision. 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. An extract from page 56 of the book entitled 'Australia's Game, The History of Australian Football' by Matthew Nicholson, Bob Stewart, Greg de Moore and Rob Hess. We are also a proud member of Football . Represented VFA against South Australia in 1911. Former player of the 1980's, Glen Holder's depiction of the great Ned Kelly during the 1873 season. We have a strengthening relationship with the Williamstown Junior Football Club with our junior teams providing a stepping stone for Williamstown's footballers to continue playing in the gold and blue colours of Williamstown. In fact, the home side was so dominant that Williamstown's goal sneaks and one or two forward players had so little to do that, with Melbourne back players, they kept themselves warm by playing leap-frog, while the play was going on at the other end of the ground.'. More Videos; Nov 13 . 10K followers. 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. For some unknown reason, the Club did not appear to continue with the 'Third Twenty' in 1877. 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. 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. 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. Under the coaching of Jack Reynolds in three . 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. The Collingwood team was not connected to the current AFL team. Williamstown Chronicle, September 2, 1871. linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. Best players for the Villagers were John Buchanan, John Alexander Springhall jnr, W. Tickell, C. Payne and Horace Norman. 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. Testekill They were renamed the 'Victorian Rules' at the meeting and continued to evolve into the game we all know today. Williamstown played 15 matches in 1879, winning 4, losing 8 and drawing 3. The premiership was won by the Geelong Football Club.