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 attempt by a University professor to stage an intercolonial match between Victoria and South Australia at the MCG under lights were attended by large crowds but were deemed a fiasco due to the poor quality of the lights, which were described in the Williamstown Chronicle of August 16 as being 'fitful and irregular. Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. The new competition included seven clubs with senior status (Melbourne, Carlton, Hotham, Albert Park, St Kilda, Geelong and Barwon) and many junior teams, but only the senior teams qualified for the VFA premiership, which was taken out by Carlton. Both played in 1876 when 'Town won the Junior Challenge Cup, the Club's first piece of silverware. He added that 'there are no reports about matches played by Booroondara or Williamstown'. The Club had a total of 86 members in this season. Best players for the Villagers were John Buchanan, John Alexander Springhall jnr, W. Tickell, C. Payne and Horace Norman. 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. Max Munday Games: 120 Goals: 6 Team of the Century Position: Full back Honours: Premiership player - 1954, 55, 56. . 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. Played back pocket in the 1921 premiership win over Footscray at the Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy. 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. 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. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. (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. 396 talking about this. The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at theGardens (Fearon) Reserve onJune 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. Wardill), Carlton (T.P. Official Instagram page of the Williamstown Football Club. Explore. James Arthur Thompson, a native of London, arrived in Williamstown in 1864 and immediately engaged in local sports activities, mainly cricket and Australian Rules football. 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. The match was lost one goal to NIL. John Ramsay Games: 125 Goals: 6 Team of the . A half back flanker and regular VFL representative. The Leader of July 22 reported that 'Melbourne had a stroll in the park against juniors Williamstown on the Melbourne Ground (not the MCG). A Fitzroy team also appeared in 1864 but was a different club to that which joined the Victorian Football Association (VFA)in 1884. 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). 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. document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML = ''; He played one further season in 1884 when Williamstown obtained senior status. Bryant was licensee of the Parade Hotel on Wellington Parade where the original Melbourne Rules were drawn up in May 1859. 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). He was the first vice-president of the VFA in 1877 and was president of Melbourne from 1897 to 1906. 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. #ProudlyWilliamstown. '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.' The Second Twenty had a more successful season, playing 9 matches of which five were won, two lost with two draws. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. 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. Shop for your Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps spirit wear here! You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Click to see who will be lining up this weekend for Williamstown. Stimulated by the example of these latter, Brunswick, Collingwood (notthe current AFL team, which was formed in 1892) andWilliamstown followed suit'. Williamstown's longest-serving president, Trevor Monti, has a keen interest in the famous Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly, and was adamant that Kelly played 11 games with the Seagulls in 1873 as a 'tough centre half-back with unconventional tactics'. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 . June 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. 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. Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. The return match against South Melbourne on August 23 was lost 3 goals to nil. Norman McDonald: Played 106 games and kicked 148 goals between 1919 and 1930. Williamstown Football Club home of the Seagulls since 1864. Tom Monteith received a 'handsome silver-mounted emu egg .. for the best all-round player during the season 1877'. 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. '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. We are reaching out to the families or next of kin to contact the club as soon as possible. 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. Height: 191cm Weight: 90kg DOB: 06/04/2002 VFL Debut: 2022 The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. 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. linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. 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.' 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. Moss and Worrell one each. 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. 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'. Power and B. James), Royal Park (J.E. The following 51 players, officials and volunteers were announced as the inaugural inductees tthe Williamstown Football Club Hall of Fame. 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. A great football club is a place to belong. Its home ground was where the current Williamstown High School now is. In the return match at Williamstown on July 13, St Kilda sent a telegram saying they had only 11 players at the railway station and the match was abandoned. 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 award was then known as The VFA Medal. 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. St Kilda amalgamated with University in late June of 1875 when it became unable to field a team. The May 17, 1859, 'Melbourne Rules', later renamed 'Victorian Rules' following the meeting in May, 1860. Ajax is the Netherlands' most successful club and is best known for producing a series of entertaining attacking teams. 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. 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. 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. The team finished 10th out of 17 junior teams. A great foot. Two other sons, Jack and Percy, also played for 'Town, in 1909 and 1928, respectively. Williamstown's newly-reformedSecond Twenty also did well in this season with 5 wins and 2 draws from its 10 matches. Home Ground Williamstown Cricket Ground. The 2023 Carlton Football Club season will be the Carlton Football Club's 160th season of competition.. The Williamstown Independent newspaper reported on 2 June 1860 (see below) that 'the members of this newly-formed Club enjoyed their first game on Saturday last.' 3,008 were here. 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. This list may not reflect recent changes. 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. He was also the tide officer at Customs and lived and worked in Williamstown in 1853. SJ Fowler was one of the early secretaries and one of their first captains was Johnny Rees, a former Williamstown player. Charlie passed away on November 20, 1929, aged 73. The Challenge Cup and the Junior Challenge Cup were discontinued with the formation of the first controlling body, the VFA. TRAILBLAZERS: 1864 - 1900. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 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. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; The loss against South Melbourne on the Gardens Reserve was the first ever sustained there by the Club. 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. 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 opposition kicked 15. 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. 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. After the game we were followed to the station by a motley crew who hooted their indignation at us for having beaten the Williamstown. The win was against South Yarra, while the draws were against an Albert Park 15, Essendon, Abbotsford and St. Kilda. It was not unusual for the Club to have to make up the season's programme with matches against the local rowing club, bowling club or even the soldiers from Fort Gellibrand. 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. Williamstown had an indifferent season but did manage to play a game against Melbourne which was lost, 2.0 to 0.1. 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. 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. He was a Williamstown resident for 45 years and was president of both the Williamstown Cricket Club and Baseball Club when he passed away suddenly on December 22 1909, aged 62. Professional Sports Team. 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. By Paddy Farley The VFL side will take on the Northern Bullants at Highgate Recreation Reserve this Saturday at 10:45am. 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. J. Alfred Thomas Clark resumed as president in 1873 and would remain in that role until 1875. For some unknown reason, the Club did not appear to continue with the 'Third Twenty' in 1877. 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. Riggall had also played for Royal Park in 1865. 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. Dec 19, 2022. 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 Second Twenty played 11 matches of which 4 were won, 3 were lost with 4 draws. | The Williamstown Football Club competes in the Victorian Football League (VFL). 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. 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. James Mark 'Jerry' Bryant (left) and Tom Wills in 1859 when teammates in the Victorian cricket team. There was also an issue of players simply failing to turn up for games. *The award was then known as The Recorder Cup. Thomas Geiser: Played 101 games and kicked 31 goals between 1921 and 1926. 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. 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. John Alexander Springhall senior became just the second president of the Club in 1872 for one year only, replacing Alfred Thomas Clark who had been in the role in 1870 and 1871 but Clark returned to the position in 1873. 1970'sGreat 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. The Argus newspaper confirmed on 29 May, 1860, (see below) that a Williamstown delegate was invited along with eight fellow delegates to the meeting. Williamstown Chronicle, September 2, 1871. 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.