The only major success that Williamstown experienced in these formative years was in 1876 when it competed with other 'junior clubs' for the Junior Challenge Cup. Players - Williamstown Football Club Rutley Brings Back Six Club Legends - Williamstownfc.com.au They provide training for girls, and there are various three-day football camps throughout the year. The article went on to state that 'the first match of the season was appointed to take place on the Queen's Birthday', which was a scratch match. 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. 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. linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. 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. Harrison acted as codifier of a final list of thirteen rules, which were signed off by the representatives of Melbourne (Harrison and R.W. Public Events. The leading goalkickers were C. Percy, F. Raymer and D. Burke with 2 each. The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. The return match against South Melbourne on August 23 was lost 3 goals to nil. 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. As scores were tied at one goal each, the game was resumed two weeks later and, when no goals were scored, the game was adjourned until September 4. 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. Another brother, Jack, played in 1880. 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. Team of the Century - Williamstown Football Club The club was initially considered a junior club, before being granted senior status in 1884. 1888 VFA season - Wikipedia Henry Harrison, captain of Richmond (1861), Melbourne (1861 and 1863-1871), and Geelong (1862 & 1868), was the codifier of the revised rules of 1866. Williamstown Football Club. addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; 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 Challenge Cup and the Junior Challenge Cup were discontinued with the formation of the first controlling body, the VFA. Williamstown Football Club | 1 034 fljare p LinkedIn. 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. 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. 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.'. The first secretary-treasurer was John Christison, the first captain J. Doull and D. Dorgan vice-president. 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'. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Sprint Hall: Played 105 games and kicked 8 goals between 1897 and 1906. The annual report of the football club for 1914 refers to it being a 'jubilee' year, meaning the 50th year of existence, which puts its formation as 1864. These were four of the 9 games played during the season, of which only 2 were won, 5 lost and 2 drawn. Harrison took over as captain of Melbourne. 1970's - Max Papley (Coach of the Decade)Great football clubs are more than successful on and off the field; they are more than a place to play and enjoy the. 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. He played until 1878 and then crossed to fellow local club, Battery United, in 1879 where he became captain during the year and led the team again in 1880. It will the club's men's team's 127th season as a member of the Australian Football League, and the second under senior coach Michael Voss; and it will be the club's women's team's eighth season contesting the AFL Women's.The club will also field its men's reserves team in the Victorian . 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. Hall of Fame Inductees - Williamstown Football Club Williamstown Football Club Below is Shortty's recollections of his involvement with the Gulls Coterie and the Football Club in general, over the journey. Back pocket player in the 1907 premiership. Played on the wing in the Club's 1907 premiership win, with his brother Jim 'Ginger' Caldwell playing on the other wing. 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 Football Club | LinkedIn A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. Six care groups have been formed that consist of . 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. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. 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. Jack Litchfield then became secretary in 1874 and 1875. Williamstown FC (@WilliamstownFC) / Twitter Bert Reitman: Played 126 games and kicked 10 goals between 1907 and 1914. 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. He added that 'there are no reports about matches played by Booroondara or Williamstown'. In 1874, the Club played 12 matches, six of which were won, three were lost and three drawn. 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'. 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.'. Leo Maloney: Played 107 games and kicked 115 goals between 1959 and 1964. 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. A time period was set for matches instead of the team scoring the first two goals being declared the winner. He came ashore each day to work on construction of the sea walls and later on the artillery bunkers adjacent to the cricket ground. Australian Football - Williamstown Football Club - Stats Rutley Brings Back Six Club Legends. 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 Football Club (WFC) has a history dating back to 1864 and is one of the oldest Australian Rules Clubs. Ajax | History, Football, Notable Players, & Facts | Britannica 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. 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 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. 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. 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). The Argus newspaper confirmed on 29 May, 1860, (see below) that a Williamstown delegate was invited along with eight fellow delegates to the meeting. The Williamstown Football Club sends its deepest condolences to the Round . The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. #ProudlyWilliamstown. Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. 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.' Neither Hawthorn or St Kilda were connected to the current AFL clubs. By 1876, The Argus considered 'the Club to be in a very flourishing condition, no less than 102 members being on the books, whereas in past seasons the number has scarcely passed the half century'. 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). Arthur Caldwell: Played 157 games and kicked 4 goals between 1897 and 1910. Further evidence as to the origins of Williamstown Football Club being attributable to 1860. It was the club's seventh VFA premiership, and the last won by its senior team. Dec 19, 2022. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. D. Rogers was leading goalscorer for the Seconds with 6, while Bobby Weatherhead, A. Murray, Wilson, Singleton and J. Davidson each kicked one. He played for the Football Club in the 1860's & 70's and organised the meeting in May 1870 that restarted the Club. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. 03-03-23. Williamstown Chronicle, May 14, 1870 - the meeting organised by James Arthur Thompson in an effort to restart the Williamstown Football Club. 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. 24 goals were kicked, the most by any of the 'junior' clubs, while the opponents booted 12. The premiership was won by the South Melbourne Football Club. The 'Rules of Football' as drawn up at the meeting at the Argus Hotel on May 28, 1860, where a Williamstown delegate was present. John Rees, pictured here when he was the first Town Clerk of Williamstown, began his long career with the Williamstown Football Club in 1874. 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.' 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 Williamstown Chronicle reported on April 21, 1870, that so few members attended the annual meeting in respect of the 1869 season, that a club could not be formed. 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. More Videos; Nov 13 . The Second Twenty had a more successful season, playing 9 matches of which five were won, two lost with two draws. This email address is being protected from spambots. He was the first vice-president of the VFA in 1877 and was president of Melbourne from 1897 to 1906. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. Posts. 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. 300 copies of the Victorian Rules were printed and distributed amongst the various clubs. Graeme 'Shortty' Shortt 30 Years Strong - Williamstown Football Club 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.' 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. addybb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = addybb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; www.williamstown.com.au/premiership-photos, VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. In 1865, the Athletics Sports Committee began a competition for football clubs that was known as the Challenge Cup, with the principal competitors being Melbourne, Carlton, Geelong, Royal Park, South Yarra and University, but games were often played against 'junior' clubs such as Williamstown, which were allowed 23 or 25 players against the senior club's 20 players. 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. 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). 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. Williamstown Football Club - Wikipedia 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. Football, Cricket, Netball and Darts, plus a fantastic Oval and Function Venue for Hire, with fully. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Wills was the first captain of Melbourne in 1859 and Harrison was a teammate. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. Mark Fotheringham (Australian footballer), Dick Harris (Australian rules footballer), Ben Kennedy (Australian rules footballer), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Williamstown_Football_Club_players&oldid=867053321, This page was last edited on 3 November 2018, at 09:17. 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 Melbourne Herald reported on July 5, 1865, that the Williamstown Council granted the football club approval to use Market Reserve for the 1865 season. 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. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. Ajax was promoted to the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie, for the first time in 1911. The Leader of July 22 reported that 'Melbourne had a stroll in the park against juniors Williamstown on the Melbourne Ground (not the MCG). 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. What's new. An improved total of 19 goals were scored while 22 were kicked against the Villagers. Charlie passed away on November 20, 1929, aged 73. John Ramsay Games: 125 Goals: 6 Team of the . The captain of the Second Twenty for 1880 was C. Hernan with C. Percy vice-captain. 4 PLAYERS. 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. 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. Tom Monteith received a 'handsome silver-mounted emu egg .. for the best all-round player during the season 1877'.