It was the club's seventh VFA premiership, and the last won by its senior team. 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'. Wills committed suicide on May 2, 1880, aged just 44. The South Yarra and St Kilda clubs (not connected to the current AFL entity) were soon formed, and occasional teams representing East Melbourne, Albert Park, Emerald Hill (South Melbourne), Prahran and University also appeared. 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. There was also a 1 goal (kicked by Will Outen) to NIL victory over senior team, Richmond, at Royal Park on September 4. It was also reported that, at the annual meeting for the 1872 season, held at the Mechanics Institute on April 1 1873, that 'the committee hopes to be able to start a second twenty, owing to the great increase of members'. 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. This video is the recollections and thoughts of the players who have formed and been moulded by the Williamstown Football Club.Williamstown Football Club celebrates and honours the teams and players of the 1970s. There were no further alterations before the formation of the VFA in 1877. In the return match at Williamstown on July 2 1866, after Carlton's Jim Williams kicked the opening goal, William Rigall, a Melbourne and Carlton player who had agreed to play for Williamstown as an emergency, broke his leg after being thrown into the picket fence by Carlton's Frank Hillsden and the game was abandoned. Woodlands Wellington Football Club is an inactive professional football club which played in the S.League, the top division of football in Singapore.They are based in Woodlands at the 4,300 seater Woodlands Stadium, where they have played since their establishment.. Woodlands Wellington FC's honours include winning the inaugural Singapore League Cup in 2007, defeating Sengkang Punggol FC 4-0 . Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. 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. Pages in category "Williamstown Football Club players" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. The result was decided in the last game of the season against South Melbourne at Albert Park which resulted in a 2-0 win to Williamstown. 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. He was also the tide officer at Customs and lived and worked in Williamstown in 1853. var addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloak411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef').innerHTML += ''+addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. One of the draws was with a strong junior team from Hotham, while they defeated East Melbourne Seconds (twice), South Yarra Seconds and Southern. This statue has been located in the Gardens since 1891, following Clark's death at sea in 1888. Rutley Brings Back Six Club Legends. One solution was the establishment of a Junior Challenge Cup in 1872 by the Athletic Sports Committee to cater for the second tier clubs such as Williamstown, East Melbourne, Richmond, South Melbourne, West Melbourne and Brunswick, as by 1875 clubs had been divided into three categories - senior, junior and minor. 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. Royal Park also emerged in May, 1862, along with an Essendon/Flemington combination, followed by Eastern Hill (East Melbourne) in 1863. Played on the wing in the Club's 1907 premiership win, with his brother Jim 'Ginger' Caldwell playing on the other wing. We are hosting our first Golf Day in Feb 2023 at Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club. 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. 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. Ben Andrews will be at DSV Stadium in 2023. 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.' They provide training for girls, and there are various three-day football camps throughout the year. 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. By 1875, there were 96 Australian Rules football clubs in Melbourne and its suburbs and 42 clubs in regional areas. 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'. Wills was captain of Melbourne in 1858-1859, Richmond in 1860 and Geelong in 1867-1868 and 1872-1873. Harold Johns: Played 125 games and kicked 47 goals between 1925 and 1934. 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. 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. var addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML += ''+addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. Captain, John Wigmore, Hunter and Sutton were best for 'Town, while future president of Williamstown, the local MLA for 17 years and founder of the Williamstown Advertiser, Alfred Thomas Clark, represented the Customs team. 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'. Liam Conway. 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. 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. 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'. Shop for your Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps spirit wear here! What's new. Clarke and Chadwick) and South Yarra (G. O'Mullane and H. Murray). Captained the Club in 1911 and 1915 also. John Ramsay Games: 125 Goals: 6 Team of the . By Paddy Farley. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. He came ashore each day to work on construction of the sea walls and later on the artillery bunkers adjacent to the cricket ground. 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 'Rules of Football' as drawn up at the meeting at the Argus Hotel on May 28, 1860, where a Williamstown delegate was present. 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. However, the Chronicle reported on May 7, 1870, that 'steps are being taken to reorganise the Williamstown Football Club.' Home Ground Williamstown Cricket Ground. The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 304 total. An improved total of 19 goals were scored while 22 were kicked against the Villagers. By Paddy Farley The VFL side will take on the Northern Bullants at Highgate Recreation Reserve this Saturday at 10:45am. Posts. 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. Pennings wrote that 'representatives from Melbourne, St. Kilda, South Yarra, Richmond, Scotch College, University, Williamstown, Collingwood and Booroondara were in attendance'. What we now call Australian Rules football was played in Victoria and the other colonies from the 1840's, but in 1858 it came into greater prominence when some cricketers, football enthusiasts and schoolboys played a number of scratch matches on the Richmond Paddock in Melbourne. This was before the girls school was built alongside South Williamstown State School. 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. (Later, in 1873, Reid was one of the founders and chairman for 27 years of the Melbourne Steamship Company and passed away in March 1910 aged 70). 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. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. He coached 'Town in 1994. (Jack) Field Medal winners: Best and Fairest in Second Division Ian Nankervis (1968) and Colin Boyd (1976), To see all williamstown premiership sides please click on the link belowPremiership Photos, To see williamstown football club team of the century click on the link belowWilliamstown team of the century. 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. '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.' Clark and McLeod held those posts for two seasons until replaced by John Alexander Springhall snr (president) and Charles Piper (secretary) for the 1872 season before Clark and McLeod resumed their roles in 1873. Also, 1870 was the first year that the Club had a recorded president in Alfred Thomas Clark, local MLA for 17 years and founder of the Williamstown Advertiser, and local printer, Duncan McLeod, was the first recorded secretary since Hugh Ronald Reid in 1860. The match was lost one goal to NIL. Neither Hawthorn or St Kilda were connected to the current AFL clubs. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; The win was against South Yarra, while the draws were against an Albert Park 15, Essendon, Abbotsford and St. Kilda. Tom Monteith received a 'handsome silver-mounted emu egg .. for the best all-round player during the season 1877'. The return match against Wesley College was at Fawkner Park on August 26 with Wesley winning one goal to none (refer report below). 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. 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.'. Also, following the annual meeting of club delegates/secretaries at Nissen's Cafe in Bourke Street on May 12, a new rule was introduced that players could only represent one club during the year. 1888 VFA season. 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 listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. 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. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. . The language of these unwelcome visitors was anything but select at times.'. Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. 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. Payne (1870), Horace Norman (1871-73) and D. McCallum (1874-75). He was also elected to the committee of the Melbourne Cricket Club in 1871 and was vice-president from 1892 until his death in 1929 at the age of 92. Both men played for Geelong in later years. 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. They kicked a total of 13 goals, with F. Raymer leading the way with 3 majors and J. Rees 2. 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 Chronicle, May 13, 1876 - the 'Cup campaign' referred to in the article is the Junior Challenge Cup which is explained below. 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. 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. After Carlton's Jim Williams kicked the opening goal, Rigall, who had agreed to play for Williamstown as an emergency, broke his leg after being thrown into the picket fence by Carlton's Frank Hillsden and the game was abandoned. John Rees, pictured here when he was the first Town Clerk of Williamstown, began his long career with the Williamstown Football Club in 1874. B&F winner 1963, Member of the Seagulls' 1960's Team of the Decade. VFL Premierships 2003, 2015 (2 . 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. Thomas McKinley: Played 107 games and kicked 27 goals between 1897 and 1908. 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 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 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. There was also an issue of players simply failing to turn up for games. Footscray Bulldogs, Williamstown 38 minutes ago #157 You can't blow the whistle and then call advantage when everyone stops. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. var addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@'; A 'Third Twenty' was also formed in this season and took to the field for the first time against Battery United at Market Reserve on July 8, winning 4 goals to 2. 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. Richmond disappeared in 1862 while St Kilda disbanded in 1863 due to insufficient numbers to field a side but re-emerged in 1873. Affiliation (Historical) Victorian Football Association (VFA) 1884-1995. 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. Reid was a founding player and also first secretary of the Alliance Cricket Club. The Official Facebook page of the Williamstown Football Club. It was a tribute to Harrison that once again his rules were adopted unanimously and clubs were springing up all over Victoria. Again no goals were scored and the match was declared a draw. 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. 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 path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; 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'. C. Sluse was elected skipper of the Seconds with R. Dalton his deputy. We are reaching out to the families or next of kin to contact the club as soon as possible. 1887 . linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. Another brother, Jack, played in 1880. In 1873, 9 games were played for one win, 5 draws and 3 losses while 3 goals were scored against 8 by the opposition. Harrison acted as codifier of a final list of thirteen rules, which were signed off by the representatives of Melbourne (Harrison and R.W. Starting in 1884, the club competed in the Victorian Football Association. 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. A great foot. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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). | The Williamstown Football Club competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL). J.K. Ogilvie Smith and R. Murray both kicked 3 goals. It was the third premiership in the club's history, and the first out of a sequence of three consecutive premierships won from 1888 to 1890. 03-03-23. The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at theGardens (Fearon) Reserve onJune 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. The identities of the two players is unknown but it is the oldest photo in the Club's collection. Clarke was the first president, with Henry Harrison (Melbourne) and R. Robertson (Carlton) the vice-presidents and Harry Hale Budd (Melbourne) the first secretary and Thomas P. Power (Carlton) the first treasurer. 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 . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP3ZLxQ_ObA&feature=related. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Shortty: My first memories of engagement with the Williamstown Football Club go back to the latter years of the Second World War, which would have been around 1945/46 when the VFA resumed after the recess for the war. 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.' Public Events. Height: 191cm Weight: 90kg DOB: 06/04/2002 VFL Debut: 2022 Its first president was Alfred Thomas Clark, local MLA for 17 years from 1871-87 and founder of the Williamstown Advertiser, who was the first recorded president of Williamstown Football Club in 1870. Two other sons, Jack and Percy, also played for 'Town, in 1909 and 1928, respectively. 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.