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. Also, due to the relative newness of the sport, the newspapers of the day didn't rate a game of football highly and, subsequently, did not report on them. #ProudlyWilliamstown. 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. By 1875, there were 96 Australian Rules football clubs in Melbourne and its suburbs and 42 clubs in regional areas. Arthur 'Porky' Sykes: Played 124 games and kicked 4 goals between 1926 and 1934. Explore. Documented evidence from the Melbourne and Williamstown press of the day suggest that the football club was formed by members of the Williamstown Alliance Cricket Club in order to keep fit during the off-season. North Melbourne and St Kilda entered the 'senior' ranks of football in 1874, competing with Carlton, Melbourne, Geelong and Albert Park. 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'. Williamstown Chronicle, September 2, 1871. The return match against Wesley College was at Fawkner Park on August 26 with Wesley winning one goal to none (refer report below). The team finished second on the ladder of 'other juniors'. 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. ', Geelong won back-to-back premierships and had not lost a game since September 1877, winning 44 consecutive matches. However, the Chronicle reported on May 7, 1870, that 'steps are being taken to reorganise the Williamstown Football Club.' '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'. 'Town kicked 4 goals and had 9 goals scored against them. Australian Football - Williamstown Football Club - Stats 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. 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. ', Williamstown Chronicle, September 8, 1877. 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. The only other win for the season was over Hotham United. 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. 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. After the game we were followed to the station by a motley crew who hooted their indignation at us for having beaten the Williamstown. Litchfield was at home when kicking the ball either left or right foot and he often puzzled his opponents when they thought they had him in a corner by the dexterity in which he would get rid of the leather.'. www.williamstown.com.au/premiership-photos, VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. 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. A solid defender who joined the club from Collingwood. A total of 14 goals were kicked by the Seconds and had 8 scored against them. About 100 clubs were now playing in Victoria, including 70 junior and school teams in Melbourne and about 10 junior clubs in Geelong. One of the draws was against senior club, Melbourne, the premier team of 1876, on July 28, while there was also a one-goal defeat at the hands of another senior team at St Kilda on June 9. About - Williamstown CYMS FC 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'. Williamstown Chronicle, May 14, 1870 - the meeting organised by James Arthur Thompson in an effort to restart the Williamstown Football Club. 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.'. 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. 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. He was the first vice-president of the VFA in 1877 and was president of Melbourne from 1897 to 1906. Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. 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. Buchanan captained the team for one game in September 1872 against South Yarra Seconds when the regular skipper, Horace Norman, was unavailable. Williamstown Football Club (@williamstownfc) Instagram photos and videos June 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. 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. '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. Games were played against senior teams South Melbourne at Albert Park on May 3, losing 2.24 to 0.1, at St Kilda on June 7, losing 3 goals to nil, and at the MCG on July 26, losing to Melbourne, 4.32 to 0.2. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 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. 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.' 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. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 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. Players Profile VFL - Port Melbourne Football Club Again no goals were scored and the match was declared a draw. . 10K followers. C. Sluse was elected skipper of the Seconds with R. Dalton his deputy. Players Profile VFL. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. 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. Williamstown played a number of other junior teams in 1865, including games against H.M. Customs, captained by Henry Harrison, on August 5 (result unknown) and a team from the Richmond district called Union, but its first recorded match took place against Carlton at Royal Park on July 15 which resulted in a 2-0 loss (only goals were recorded and the best of three goals decided the winner). The Second Twenty had a more successful season, playing 9 matches of which five were won, two lost with two draws. Team of the Century - Williamstown Football Club var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; James Arthur Thompson, a native of London, arrived in Williamstown in 1864 and immediately engaged in local sports activities, mainly cricket and Australian Rules football. Played back pocket in the 1921 premiership win over Footscray at the Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy. Stimulated by the example of these latter, Brunswick, Collingwood (notthe current AFL team, which was formed in 1892) andWilliamstown followed suit'. 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. A total of 7 goals were kicked by the Villagers and had 16 scored against them. John Rees, pictured here when he was the first Town Clerk of Williamstown, began his long career with the Williamstown Football Club in 1874. Ajax is the Netherlands' most successful club and is best known for producing a series of entertaining attacking teams. Horace Norman was re-appointed captain for the third consecutive season at the meeting but resigned before the first practice match on April 26. The leading goalkickers were C. Percy, F. Raymer and D. Burke with 2 each. He returned to Williamstown in 1882 after the amalgamation with Battery United and became captain in 1883. 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. document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML = ''; Category:Williamstown Football Club players - Wikipedia Graeme 'Shortty' Shortt 30 Years Strong - Williamstown Football Club 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. They were renamed the 'Victorian Rules' at the meeting and continued to evolve into the game we all know today. 396 talking about this. By Paddy Farley The VFL side will take on the Northern Bullants at Highgate Recreation Reserve this Saturday at 10:45am. Shop for your Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps spirit wear here! 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. Williamstown FC Signings Hub All the Seagulls listed below have signed up and a roaring to play in season 2023 VFL Membership totalled 64 in this season. Max Munday Games: 120 Goals: 6 Team of the Century Position: Full back Honours: Premiership player - 1954, 55, 56. Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps 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. History [ edit] The Williamstown Football Club was formed in 1864, making it one of the oldest football clubs in Australia. Height: 191cm Weight: 90kg DOB: 06/04/2002 VFL Debut: 2022 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. The 'Rules of Football' as drawn up at the meeting at the Argus Hotel on May 28, 1860, where a Williamstown delegate was present. 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. In 1886, players wishing to play on the cricket ground ultimately established a rival senior club, the South Williamstown Football Club, which also contested the VFA for two seasons. 1864 (merged with South Williamstown 1888) Colours Royal blue and yellow. Dec 19, 2022. Pages in category "Williamstown Football Club players" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. The new competition included seven clubs with senior status (Melbourne, Carlton, Hotham, Albert Park, St Kilda, Geelong and Barwon) and many junior teams, but only the senior teams qualified for the VFA premiership, which was taken out by Carlton. 2023 Carlton Football Club season - Wikipedia 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. Windsor disbanded by the end of June and the remnants were amalgamated with St Kilda Alma, which in turn also withdrew from the competition by mid-July. The opposition kicked 15. Jack Litchfield then became secretary in 1874 and 1875. 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. Harrison acted as codifier of a final list of thirteen rules, which were signed off by the representatives of Melbourne (Harrison and R.W. Wills was the first captain of Melbourne in 1859 and Harrison was a teammate. 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. Stanbridge also won the VFA Medal the same year, as did Neville Huggins in 1937, Arthur Cutting in 1938 and Des Fothergill in 1941. He was also the tide officer at Customs and lived and worked in Williamstown in 1853. 1888 VFA season. document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML = ''; The leading goalkicker was Johnny Rees with three, while J. Monteith kicked two and D. Burke and John Charles Frederick Ulbrick one each. Best Football And Soccer Schools For Kids Singapore - Little Steps Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps clothing and apparel! Williamstown had an indifferent season but did manage to play a game against Melbourne which was lost, 2.0 to 0.1. Henry Harrison, captain of Richmond (1861), Melbourne (1861 and 1863-1871), and Geelong (1862 & 1868), was the codifier of the revised rules of 1866. This statue has been located in the Gardens since 1891, following Clark's death at sea in 1888. There is anecdotal evidence that an earlier match took place at St Kilda between Melbourne Grammar and St Kilda Grammar on 5 June, 1858, but this cannot be verified. Wills was captain of Melbourne in 1858-1859, Richmond in 1860 and Geelong in 1867-1868 and 1872-1873. 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. The Argus of April 6, 1872, reported that, at the annual meeting held in respect of the 1871 season, that 'the colours of the club were also settled, light blue with a white stripe'. Footscray Bulldogs, Williamstown 38 minutes ago #157 You can't blow the whistle and then call advantage when everyone stops. Leo Maloney: Played 107 games and kicked 115 goals between 1959 and 1964. J.K. Ogilvie Smith and R. Murray both kicked 3 goals. The Williamstown Football Club held its inaugural Hall of Fame function at Crown Casinon Saturday 31st May 2014. Richmond disappeared in 1862 while St Kilda disbanded in 1863 due to insufficient numbers to field a side but re-emerged in 1873. The Cup itself was long-lost until discovered in 1995 in the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum (now the Australian Sports Museum) at the MCG by James Grzonek, son of Club historian, Ray Grzonek, during a casual visit to the museum. Testekill We need your help! Posts. linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. 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.'. 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. Below is Shortty's recollections of his involvement with the Gulls Coterie and the Football Club in general, over the journey. Captain and back pocket player in the 1907 premiership win over West Melbourne. Williamstown Football Club | LinkedIn 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. 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.' St Kilda amalgamated with University in late June of 1875 when it became unable to field a team. addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; As Cricket Club secretary in 1888, Thompson was responsible for drawing up the agreement under which the Football Club agreed to use the cricket ground for home games following the merger with South Williamstown. 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. 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.