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'. PAST PLAYERS DAY TOMORROW Featuring the '93 Premiership Reunion - 25th Anniversary 12:00pm kick-off in Coccha's Marquee @ Crofts Reserve. The Club had a total of 86 members in this season. A letter to the editor of the Williamstown Chronicle in the edition dated August 12, 1871 (refer above), stated that 'some years ago a site was granted to the borough council of Williamstown for market purposes, but instead . it was let to some private person for grazing their cattle and horses on. 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. 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. 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. T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, sweat pants, hats, mugs and more. The 2023 Carlton Football Club season will be the Carlton Football Club's 160th season of competition.. 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.' 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. 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 . 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 leading goalkickers were C. Percy, F. Raymer and D. Burke with 2 each. The only other win for the season was over Hotham United. 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.' Jack Litchfield then became secretary in 1874 and 1875. Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. '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'. 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. The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at theGardens (Fearon) Reserve onJune 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. 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 played one further season in 1884 when Williamstown obtained senior status. On May 17, 1859, a committee of MCC members including 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, met at the same hotel and agreed to authorise Wills' cousin, Henry Harrison, to draw up a set of rules based on rugby but modified to suit local conditions. 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. Public Events. 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. However, the Chronicle reported on May 7, 1870, that 'steps are being taken to reorganise the Williamstown Football Club.' Another brother, Jack, played in 1880. Ajax is the Netherlands' most successful club and is best known for producing a series of entertaining attacking teams. 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. document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML = ''; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. Williamstown Football Club. 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). 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. 'Town defeated a St Kilda team of only 13 players two goals to nil at Williamstown on June 23. 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. linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. Explore. St Kilda claimed 'that the surface was covered with lumps of rock' and, following a nil-all draw against 'senior' team Albert Park on June 21, 1873, the South Melbourne Record of the same day described the ground as 'bounded on all sides by dangerous fences, and firmly embedded all over the ground were huge boulders of stone; then the rain that had fallen during the past week has converted it into a perfect swamp, in fact, there were not 10 yards of dry ground in the whole enclosure.' Bob Waycott was captain and P. Conroy vice-captain. Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. There was also an issue of players simply failing to turn up for games. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. 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. Wills was the first captain of Melbourne in 1859 and Harrison was a teammate. 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. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 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.' Military Wiki. Shop for your Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps spirit wear here! 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. Again no goals were scored and the match was declared a draw. It was the club's seventh VFA premiership, and the last won by its senior team. 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'. ** The award was then known as The VFA Medal. More Videos; Nov 13 . June 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. The leading goalkicker was Johnny Rees with three, while J. Monteith kicked two and D. Burke and John Charles Frederick Ulbrick one each. VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. Minnesota school moves into first place past Hinsdale Central (Ill.), Jesuit (Ore.). It was reported in the Williamstown Chronicle of April 20, 1878, following the annual meeting in respect of the 1877 season, held at the Mechanics Institute on April 17, that'on a great many occasions not more than 10 of the team chosen put in an appearance, the average for the season being about 15 per match'. The Chronicle stated on May 28 that 'thanks to the exertions of Mr Thompson, a sufficient amount was collected last week to purchase a ball and on Saturday afternoon about a dozen players had a friendly game'. A Fitzroy team also appeared in 1864 but was a different club to that which joined the Victorian Football Association (VFA)in 1884. Hugh Ronald Reid was elected the first secretary and treasurer of the football club and also played. There was also a 1 goal (kicked by Will Outen) to NIL victory over senior team, Richmond, at Royal Park on September 4. He played for the Football Club in the 1860's & 70's and organised the meeting in May 1870 that restarted the Club. 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. Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. Wills committed suicide on May 2, 1880, aged just 44. B&F winner 1963, Member of the Seagulls' 1960's Team of the Decade. 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. History Talk (0) Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Players of Williamstown Football Club. 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. The Williamstown Chronicle also reported on 30 June, 1860, (see below) that the football club was to play a 'friendly' scratch match on Market Reserve that day at 10.30 am. Captain and back pocket player in the 1907 premiership win over West Melbourne. Williamstown Football Club won a premiership in each decade of the 1900's except the second 1907, 1921, 1939, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1969 (Second Division), 1976 (Second Division), 1986 and 1990, followed by two more in 2003 and 2015. 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. The West Melbourne secretary even wrote to the Williamstown Chronicle (see below) to complain about the behaviour of the 'Town players and supporters, and stated that 'during the whole of the game the Williamstown team played very roughly, and at times very unfairly, 2 or 3 of them being very conspicuous in this part of the game. 24 goals were kicked, the most by any of the 'junior' clubs, while the opponents booted 12. Moss and Worrell one each. 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.'. 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. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 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. 'Town kicked 4 goals and had 9 goals scored against them. Both men played for Geelong in later years. Official Instagram page of the 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. It was a tribute to Harrison that once again his rules were adopted unanimously and clubs were springing up all over Victoria. 3,008 were here. 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. It also enhanced recruitment. This was before the girls school was built alongside South Williamstown State School. 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. Rutley Brings Back Six Club Legends. 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. The Williamstown Football Club sends its deepest condolences to the Round . 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'. 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. However, secretaries of football clubs often had to rely on information that was not always accurate. Fitzroy Football Club Fantasy Leagues. 1867 saw a proliferation of new clubs emerging, including a second Fitzroy team, East Melbourne, Rysleigh (from the South Melbourne district) and Pentridge. 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'. Our Major Partners. 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. 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. 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 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). 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. Norman McDonald: Played 106 games and kicked 148 goals between 1919 and 1930. Tom Wills umpired the game, which had no marked boundary line and the goals were approximately a mile apart. 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 first secretary-treasurer was John Christison, the first captain J. Doull and D. Dorgan vice-president. 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. For more information . Richmond disappeared in 1862 while St Kilda disbanded in 1863 due to insufficient numbers to field a side but re-emerged in 1873. They provide training for girls, and there are various three-day football camps throughout the year. VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. The early captains of the team were John Wigmore (1866), C.F. 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. Former player of the 1980's, Glen Holder's depiction of the great Ned Kelly during the 1873 season. 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. Wally Carter and Terry Wheeler both coached VFL/AFL teams after success at Williamstown. Page 1 of 7. document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML = ''; 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 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. 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. 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. var addy_text98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML += ''+addy_text98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. Although odd matches had been played there in the past, including a game against Carlton on 17 August, 1878, that attracted more than 5,000 spectators, most fixtures were played on the Market Reserve. Alfred Thomas Clark resumed as president in 1873 and would remain in that role until 1875. 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.