Game Day Dogs V Roos Ikon Park 4/3 1.10pm Road To Glory Begins 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'. PAST PLAYERS DAY TOMORROW Featuring the '93 Premiership Reunion - 25th Anniversary 12:00pm kick-off in Coccha's Marquee @ Crofts Reserve. 1864 (merged with South Williamstown 1888) Colours Royal blue and yellow. The new ground was a vast improvement and was looked on by the new administration of President Cr John Jobson and Duncan McLeod, returning as secretary, as a big step towards gaining senior status. The team finished second on the ladder of 'other juniors'. C. Sluse was elected skipper of the Seconds with R. Dalton his deputy. Williamstown Chronicle, May 14, 1870 - the meeting organised by James Arthur Thompson in an effort to restart the Williamstown Football Club. The Official Facebook page of the Williamstown Football Club. 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. With 104 members, a good ground, sound administration, the Challenge Cup and a Seconds and Thirds teams, it seemed that Williamstown was due for senior status, but that would not happen until 1884, despite secretary Duncan McLeod's best efforts. 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. Captain and back pocket player in the 1907 premiership win over West Melbourne. Lack of a controlling body meant that the more powerful clubs such as Melbourne and Carlton tended to concentrate their fixtures against each other and were under no obligation to spread their roster of games. The Argus newspaper confirmed on 29 May, 1860, (see below) that a Williamstown delegate was invited along with eight fellow delegates to the meeting. Monday-Friday: 9am to 5pm; Satuday: 10am to 2pm. Power and B. James), Royal Park (J.E. Signings Hub - Williamstown Football Club '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. 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. Kelly was just 17yo when he was imprisoned from June 1873 to January 1874 on the floating prison hulk, Sacramento, which was docked at Pt Gellibrand. 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. Ajax was promoted to the top Dutch league, the Eredivisie, for the first time in 1911. The purpose of the meeting was to reconsider the 'Melbourne' rules, formalise them and to reach an agreement on them. 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. What's new. 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'. Jack Litchfield then became secretary in 1874 and 1875. 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). 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. Harold Johns: Played 125 games and kicked 47 goals between 1925 and 1934. 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. Eric Beitzel Games: 113 Goals: 0 Team of the Century Position: Back pocket Honours: Premiership player 1955, 56, 58, 59, Max Munday Games: 120 Goals: 6 Team of the Century Position: Full back Honours: Premiership player 1954, 55, 56, John Ramsay Games: 125 Goals: 6 Team of the Century Position: Back pocket Honours: Premiership player 1954, 55, 56, 58, 59, Brett McTaggart Games: 184 Goals: 66 Team of the Century Position: Half back flank Honours: Premiership player 1986, 90; Liston Medal 1988, Gerry Callahan Games: 171 Goals: 75 Team of the Century Position: Centre half back Honours: Premiership player 1954, 55, 56, 58, 59; Best and Fairest 1951, 58, Colin Wilcox Games: 173 Goals: 1 Team of the Century Position: Half back flank Honours: Premiership player 1939, 45, 49; Best and Fairest 1948, Jim Cardwell Games: 70 Team of the Century Position: Wing Honours: Premiership player 1907, 21, Max Papley Games: 54 Goals: 108 Team of the Century Position: Centre Honours: Premiership player 1969, John Martin Games: 133 Goals: 15 Team of the Century Position: Wing Honours: Premiership player 1954, 55, 56, 58; Best and Fairest 1956, 58; Liston Medal -1956, Ray Smith Games: 205 Goals: 161 Team of the Century Position: half forward flank Honours: Premiership Player 1954, 55, 56, 58, 59; best and fairest 1959, 60, 61, Ron Todd Games: 141 Goals: 672 Team of the Century Position: centre half forward Honours: Premiership Player 1945, 49, Ian Rickman Games: 146 Goals: 516 Team of the Century Position: half forward flank Honours: Premiership Player 1986, 90, Harry Simpson Games: 75 Goals: 82 Team of the Century Position: forward pocket Honours: Premiership Player 1954, 55; best and fairest 1954, Mark Fotheringham Games: 101 Goals: 571 Team of the Century Position: full forward Honours: Premiership Player 1986; best and fairest 1982, Saade Ghazi Games: 204 Goals: 291 Team of the Century Position: forward pocket honours: best and fairest 1997; liston medal 1989, Barry Round Games: 110 Goals: 103 Team of the Century Position: ruck Honours: Premiership Player 1986, 90; best and fairest 1987, 88, 89; liston medal 1987, Eric Glass Games: 82 Goals: 54 Team of the Century Position: ruck rover Honours: Premiership Player 1939, 45, Alby Linton Games: 87 Goals: 226 Team of the Century Position: rover Honours: Premiership Player 1954, 55, 56; best and fairest 1955, Reg Harley Games: 117 Goals: 19 HonoursPremiership Player 1945, 54; best and fairest 1946, 47, Bob Jones Games: 130 Goals: 24 Honours: Premiership Player 1955, 56, 58, 59, Len Kent Games: 117 Goals: 15 Honours: Premiership Player 1954, 56, 58, 59, Kim Kershaw Games: 81 Goals: 10 Honours: Premiership Player 1986; best and fairest 1983, 84, 85, 86, Tony Pastore Games: 189 Goals: 150 Honours: Premiership Player 1986, 90, Tom Russell Games: 200 Honours: Premiership Player 1969; best and fairest 1965, Wally Carter 1954-1957 Games: 91 (76 wins 83.5%) Honours: Premiership Coach 1954, 55, 56. An improved total of 19 goals were scored while 22 were kicked against the Villagers. 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. 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. *The award was then known as The Recorder Cup. We are reaching out to the families or next of kin to contact the club as soon as possible. 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). 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. 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. 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. North Melbourne Kangaroos Past Players Lidge's Lounge. 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. Martin Joseph "Tottie" Fitzpatrick VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. 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. var addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML += ''+addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. 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. . North would rapidly achieve 'senior' status by 1874. 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. 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.' In country Victoria, the major clubs were now Geelong, Ballarat, Sandhurst and Kyneton. 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. 'Town kicked 4 goals and had 9 goals scored against them. 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. A rover in the Seagulls 1921 premiership win over Footscray. A solid defender who joined the club from Collingwood. Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. 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. Geelong won their first of seven VFA premierships in this season, ending the dominance of Melbourne and Carlton over Victorian football. Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps Minnesota school moves into first place past Hinsdale Central (Ill.), Jesuit (Ore.). The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at theGardens (Fearon) Reserve onJune 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. They provide training for girls, and there are various three-day football camps throughout the year. They kicked a total of 13 goals, with F. Raymer leading the way with 3 majors and J. Rees 2. The team finished eighth on a ladder of 14 teams. 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. This year also saw the demise of South Yarra, which finally disbanded after several mediocre seasons. 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. 24 goals were kicked, the most by any of the 'junior' clubs, while the opponents booted 12. 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.' T. Crane was appointed captain of the Second Twenty for 1878 with C. Hernan vice-captain. A great foot. 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. 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. 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. June 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. This statue has been located in the Gardens since 1891, following Clark's death at sea in 1888. 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. The Second Twenty had a more successful season, playing 9 matches of which five were won, two lost with two draws. 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. 300 copies of the Victorian Rules were printed and distributed amongst the various clubs. Played on the wing in the Club's 1907 premiership win, with his brother Jim 'Ginger' Caldwell playing on the other wing. 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. Posts. Ajax, in full Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also called AFC Ajax, Dutch professional football (soccer) club formed in 1900 in Amsterdam. 1887 . var addybb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@'; A half back flanker and regular VFL representative. Williamstown Football Club home of the Seagulls since 1864. 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. The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. Williamstown Chronicle, May 13, 1876 - the 'Cup campaign' referred to in the article is the Junior Challenge Cup which is explained below. The identities of the two players is unknown but it is the oldest photo in the Club's collection. Brunswick and West Melbourne were also on the field by 1865, whereas Geelong almost disbanded in this year due to lack of interest and numbers. Williamstown Football Club | 1 034 fljare p LinkedIn. 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. 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 identities of the two players is unknown but it is the oldest photo in the Club's collection. He was a cousin of Henry Harrison. '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'. 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. Williamstown's original colours were black and yellow. . 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.'. In total, 5 games were played in the 1871 season, 2 of which were won and 3 lost. We are also a proud member of Football . An important change was made in the rules just before the 1869 season began. The Age reported on Tuesday, 29 May, 1860, (see below) that the Williamstown Football Club was formed on 18 May, 1860, at the first annual general meeting of the Williamstown Alliance Cricket Club, held at the Mechanics Institute in Electra Street. Wills was the first captain of Melbourne in 1859 and Harrison was a teammate. Moss was appointed captain for the forthcoming season with J. Monteith vice-captain. J.K. Ogilvie Smith and R. Murray both kicked 3 goals. 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. There were a number of meetings of interested clubs before the Victorian Football Association (VFA) was formed on May 7, 1877, to promote and extend football throughout the colony and to facilitate inter-colonial contests, but this did not bring about the administrative reforms that were expected, eg secretaries of senior clubs refused to relinquish their right to draw up the season's programme as they were of the view that this was a 'club matter'. Bryant also provided the ball that was used in the early games of football that were played on the Richmond Paddock from 1858 onwards. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. By Paddy Farley The VFL side will take on the Northern Bullants at Highgate Recreation Reserve this Saturday at 10:45am. Stanbridge also won the VFA Medal the same year, as did Neville Huggins in 1937, Arthur Cutting in 1938 and Des Fothergill in 1941. VFL Premierships 2003, 2015 (2 . A. Fowler was elected captain of the Second Twenty with three vice-captains in Litchfield, Percy and Jamieson. 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 rules are seen as one of the most significant documents in the history of the Australian game. The following 51 players, officials and volunteers were announced as the inaugural inductees tthe Williamstown Football Club Hall of Fame. Football, Cricket, Netball and Darts, plus a fantastic Oval and Function Venue for Hire, with fully. The defeats were at the hands of North Melbourne (twice), Studley Park and Hawthorn. We are hosting our first Golf Day in Feb 2023 at Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. 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'. 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. 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. 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. Back pocket player in the 1907 premiership. The premiership was won by the Geelong Football Club. 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. 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. ** The award was then known as The VFA Medal. These were four of the 9 games played during the season, of which only 2 were won, 5 lost and 2 drawn. Australian Football - Williamstown Football Club - Stats Under the coaching of Jack Reynolds in three . 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'. Each of these Premierships hold special memories for our club. The May 17, 1859, 'Melbourne Rules', later renamed 'Victorian Rules' following the meeting in May, 1860. 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). 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. Registration- admin@williamstownfc.com.au Sponsorship opportunities available w/prominent branding on course. 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. 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. This club is a great organisation like many football clubs it has a great reservoir of committed people who are here only to see the club succeed. A Fitzroy team also appeared in 1864 but was a different club to that which joined the Victorian Football Association (VFA)in 1884. 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. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. Riggall had also played for Royal Park in 1865. | The Williamstown Football Club competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Both men played for Geelong in later years. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. The return match against Wesley College was at Fawkner Park on August 26 with Wesley winning one goal to none (refer report below). 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. The opposition kicked 15. 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.' Harrison took over as captain of Melbourne. 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'.