Starting in 1884, the club competed in the Victorian Football Association. Club Captain in 1903 and 1904 was lured to Footscray and led that club to the 1908 premiership. Fitzroy Community Club | Adelaide SA - Facebook This was before the girls school was built alongside South Williamstown State School. 'Town defeated a St Kilda team of only 13 players two goals to nil at Williamstown on June 23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP3ZLxQ_ObA&feature=related. 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. 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. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; 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 'twoWilliamstownfootballers, 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'. Tom Monteith received a 'handsome silver-mounted emu egg .. for the best all-round player during the season 1877'. 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. He was a cousin of Henry Harrison. 1970's 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 . Military Wiki. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. Both played in 1876 when 'Town won the Junior Challenge Cup, the Club's first piece of silverware. Perhaps due to the ground being also used to graze livestock, it was not a good surface for football and was often criticized by visitors. The first secretary-treasurer was John Christison, the first captain J. Doull and D. Dorgan vice-president. In this article, it was also stated that Jack Litchfield was 'one of the most brainy players that perhaps Williamstown has ever produced. VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. ', Williamstown Chronicle, September 8, 1877. The Captain, Bob Waycott, and vice-captain, John Charles Frederick Ulbrick, who were both re-appointed at the meeting for the 1878 season, instituted a fine of one shilling for players who failed to turn up for games without a valid excuse. Martin Joseph "Tottie" Fitzpatrick Category:Williamstown Football Club players - Wikipedia Pennings wrote that 'representatives from Melbourne, St. Kilda, South Yarra, Richmond, Scotch College, University, Williamstown, Collingwood and Booroondara were in attendance'. James Mark 'Jerry' Bryant (left) and Tom Wills in 1859 when teammates in the Victorian cricket team. They provide training for girls, and there are various three-day football camps throughout the year. Kelly was returned to Pentridge after his prison stint at Williamstown and then immediately went back to the family home in Greta in Victoria's northeast upon his release. The captain of the Second Twenty for 1880 was C. Hernan with C. Percy vice-captain. 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. Mark Pennings in his book, 'Origins of Australian Football: Victoria's Early History' writes that 'Booroondara, Collingwood, Williamstown and University were other clubs that emerged' (in 1860). 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. Thomas McKinley: Played 107 games and kicked 27 goals between 1897 and 1908. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Arthur 'Porky' Sykes: Played 124 games and kicked 4 goals between 1926 and 1934. The return match against South Melbourne on August 23 was lost 3 goals to nil. Bert Reitman: Played 126 games and kicked 10 goals between 1907 and 1914. 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. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 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. 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'. 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. 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. 396 talking about this. We are hosting our first Golf Day in Feb 2023 at Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club. In the game against a St Kilda Second Twenty at the Gardens (Fearon) Reserve on May 30, 'Town were victorious 7 goals to NIL, a huge margin at the time. Professional Sports Team. 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. There were no further alterations before the formation of the VFA in 1877. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League . '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'. Eventually in 1883, at the first intercolonial football convention, a revised version renamed 'The Laws of the Australian Game of Football' was adopted by delegates from South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Victoria. 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'. 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. 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. Norman McDonald: Played 106 games and kicked 148 goals between 1919 and 1930. 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. St Kilda amalgamated with University in late June of 1875 when it became unable to field a team. Williamstown's last encounter for the season was on September 23 at Fawkner Park against a combined Southern and Wesley team 'which resulted in a decided victory for the united clubs', according to The Age of September 25. Public Events. The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at the. William Riggall, pictured here in the Melbourne Leader of August 15 1908, played for 'Town in a game at Williamstown on July 2 1866 against Carlton when he was actually a Blues player. The Collingwood team was not connected to the current AFL team. 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. They were also given the power to stop play and throw the ball in the air to clear a scrimmage and to start the second half. The Melbourne Herald reported on July 5, 1865, that the Williamstown Council granted the football club approval to use Market Reserve for the 1865 season. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; He played for the Football Club in the 1860's & 70's and organised the meeting in May 1870 that restarted the Club. J.K. Ogilvie Smith and R. Murray both kicked 3 goals. 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 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)'. A great football club is a place to belong. TRAILBLAZERS: 1864 - 1900. Reels. 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. Height: 191cm Weight: 90kg DOB: 06/04/2002 VFL Debut: 2022 B&F winner 1963, Member of the Seagulls' 1960's Team of the Decade. Henry Harrison, captain of Richmond (1861), Melbourne (1861 and 1863-1871), and Geelong (1862 & 1868), was the codifier of the revised rules of 1866. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. The Second Twenty were more successful, winning 5 of their 12 matches, losing 3 with 4 draws. Wills was captain of Melbourne in 1858-1859, Richmond in 1860 and Geelong in 1867-1868 and 1872-1873. 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'. The 2023 Carlton Football Club season will be the Carlton Football Club's 160th season of competition.. The rules are seen as one of the most significant documents in the history of the Australian game. linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. Proud, passionate and humorous stories tall and true from the men who played in that decade. 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. Below is Shortty's recollections of his involvement with the Gulls Coterie and the Football Club in general, over the journey. 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. QUICK CONTACT INFO. 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. 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. The 1888 Victorian Football Association season was the 12th season of the Australian rules football competition. Category:Williamstown Football Club players - Military Wiki 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). ETU Stadium, 541 Williamstown Road, Port . In total, 5 games were played in the 1871 season, 2 of which were won and 3 lost. 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. Home Ground Williamstown Cricket Ground. He returned to Williamstown in 1882 after the amalgamation with Battery United and became captain in 1883. Reid was a founding player and also first secretary of the Alliance Cricket Club. 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. The Official Facebook page of the Williamstown Football Club. Bryant also provided the ball that was used in the early games of football that were played on the Richmond Paddock from 1858 onwards. 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 Williamstown Football Club held its inaugural Hall of Fame function at Crown Casinon Saturday 31st May 2014. In 1873, 9 games were played for one win, 5 draws and 3 losses while 3 goals were scored against 8 by the opposition. He was a cousin of Tom Wills. Associated clubs Williamstown Reserves; Williamstown WFC. Richmond disappeared in 1862 while St Kilda disbanded in 1863 due to insufficient numbers to field a side but re-emerged in 1873. 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'. Liam Conway. 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. The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. 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.' 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. Affiliation (Current) Victorian Football League (VFL) 1996-2023. Wardill), Carlton (T.P. 1886 VFA season - Wikipedia '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.' Ajax | History, Football, Notable Players, & Facts | Britannica The Williamstown Football Club sends its deepest condolences to the Round . Captained the Club in 1911 and 1915 also. 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 . 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 Villagers kicked 16 goals during the previous season, and the decrease in performance was put down to the retirement of several of the Club's better players, including Tommy Beeching (1875-77) and R. Murray (1871-76),and the superiority of competing senior clubs such as Carlton and Melbourne. Former player of the 1980's, Glen Holder's depiction of the great Ned Kelly during the 1873 season. The premiership was won by the Geelong Football Club. Membership totalled 64 in this season. 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. We are reaching out to the families or next of kin to contact the club as soon as possible. After the game we were followed to the station by a motley crew who hooted their indignation at us for having beaten the Williamstown. 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. Williamstown Football Club - 1976 Preliminary Final - YouTube Williamstown Football Club home of the Seagulls since 1864. For some unknown reason, the Club did not appear to continue with the 'Third Twenty' in 1877. 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 Football Club | LinkedIn Both men played for Geelong in later years. North would rapidly achieve 'senior' status by 1874. One of the draws was with a strong junior team from Hotham, while they defeated East Melbourne Seconds (twice), South Yarra Seconds and Southern. He was also the tide officer at Customs and lived and worked in Williamstown in 1853. Captain and back pocket player in the 1907 premiership win over West Melbourne. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; In the Williamstown Chronicle of 19 July 1879, in respect of the game played the previous weekend on 12 July against Sandridge (later renamed Port Melbourne), it was reported that 'the Sandridge team were accompanied by a great many supporters, the greater portion of them belonging to that objectionable class termed larrikins who encroached upon the playing ground thereby greatly impeding the game. We are also a proud member of Football . 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. 1888 VFA season. An improved total of 19 goals were scored while 22 were kicked against the Villagers. Harold Johns: Played 125 games and kicked 47 goals between 1925 and 1934. var addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@'; document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML = ''; Since 1886 our Club has enjoyed senior success winning 15 premierships. document.getElementById('cloak411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef').innerHTML = ''; 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'. Real Madrid Football School, The Yards, Joo Chiat, 406 Joo Chiat Place Level 1, Singapore and The Rainforest Sports Hub, Turf City, 2 Turf Club Road, Singapore, +65 91761870, info@frmsingapore.com, www.frmsingapore.com. 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. 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. VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced - Williamstown Football Club 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. var addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML += ''+addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. 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. Best players for the Villagers were John Buchanan, John Alexander Springhall jnr, W. Tickell, C. Payne and Horace Norman. 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. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. 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). The famous Carlton club was formed in July 1864 but did not play a game until 1865, while Emerald Hill became a formalised club in 1864 and later became Albert Park. 03-03-23. 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.