Bryant was licensee of the Parade Hotel on Wellington Parade where the original Melbourne Rules were drawn up in May 1859. 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. The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. This statue has been located in the Gardens since 1891, following Clark's death at sea in 1888. There was also an issue of players simply failing to turn up for games. The trophy, which had been presented to the then-president of the Club, Cr John Jobson, by members of the victorious team at a dinner in the Oddfellows Hall, had been purchased by the museum in late 1993. 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. He played one further season in 1884 when Williamstown obtained senior status. Harrison took over as captain of Melbourne. TRAILBLAZERS: 1864 - 1900. He played until 1878 and then crossed to fellow local club, Battery United, in 1879 where he became captain during the year and led the team again in 1880. 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 award was then known as The Recorder Cup. Williamstown Chronicle, September 2, 1876. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. var addy_text98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML += ''+addy_text98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. var addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML += ''+addy_textbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 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. Williamstown's newly-reformedSecond Twenty also did well in this season with 5 wins and 2 draws from its 10 matches. Payne (1870), Horace Norman (1871-73) and D. McCallum (1874-75). . He also records that 'the first football "council" was held at the Argus Hotel (in Collins Street) on May 28 (1860).' Below is Shortty's recollections of his involvement with the Gulls Coterie and the Football Club in general, over the journey. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. 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. var addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@'; Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. 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. Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps clothing and apparel! ** The award was then known as The VFA Medal. Battery United's colours were blue and white, and it may have been at this stage that Williamstown, whose original colours were dark blue knickerbockers, guernsey and hose with a blue cap with a white stripe down the centre, adopted black and yellow in 1884 when Williamstown entered the VFA due to Geelong already having a dark blue and white uniform. 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. We think Waycott, the Williamstown captain, should have stopped the match at a very early stage.' 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP3ZLxQ_ObA&feature=related. 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. 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. A Fitzroy team also appeared in 1864 but was a different club to that which joined the Victorian Football Association (VFA)in 1884. QUICK CONTACT INFO. More Videos; Nov 13 . North would rapidly achieve 'senior' status by 1874. An important change was made in the rules just before the 1869 season began. 24 goals were kicked, the most by any of the 'junior' clubs, while the opponents booted 12. Weatherall.' 300 copies of the Victorian Rules were printed and distributed amongst the various clubs. 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. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. The 1888 Victorian Football Association season was the 12th season of the Australian rules football competition. By Paddy Farley. Watch this highlight video of the Williamstown (WV) football team in its game Recap: Williamstown vs. Clay-Battelle 2022 on Nov 12, 2022. addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = addy411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; 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. Charles George 'Charlie' Outen, pictured here in 1914 aged in his 50's, played for Williamstown from 1874 until 1877 and played all those years with his brother, Will. 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 leading goalkicker was Johnny Rees with three, while J. Monteith kicked two and D. Burke and John Charles Frederick Ulbrick one each. 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. 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. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; The Williamstown Football Club is looking to acknowledge the service of these past players. The Official Facebook page of the Williamstown Football Club. Horace Norman was re-appointed captain for the third consecutive season at the meeting but resigned before the first practice match on April 26. Williamstown's original colours were black and yellow. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; J. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. Some 500 of the Parkites' usual spectators, consisting of the real larrikin element of Emerald Hill, mustered upon this occasion to obstruct in every possible way the Williamstown players. Williamstown's comparative slow advancement in the football world was not in keeping with its importance to Melbourne as a port, but communication and transport were difficult and militated against regular visits by the clubs of the inner suburbs. The 'Rules of Football' as drawn up at the meeting at the Argus Hotel on May 28, 1860, where a Williamstown delegate was present. 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. Click to see who will be lining up this weekend for Williamstown. 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.' 1887 . The only other recorded game in 1866 was on June 9 when Williamstown played H. M. Customs, or the Melbourne Customs Club, at Market Reserve and the match was a nil-all draw 'after two hours hard work and many severe spills on either side', as reported by The Argus on June 11. J.K. Ogilvie Smith and R. Murray both kicked 3 goals. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. In this article, it was also stated that Jack Litchfield was 'one of the most brainy players that perhaps Williamstown has ever produced. Riggall had also played for Royal Park in 1865. 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. We are hosting our first Golf Day in Feb 2023 at Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club. Arthur Caldwell: Played 157 games and kicked 4 goals between 1897 and 1910. 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. Tom Wills, one of the founding-fathers of Australian Rules football, was present at the meeting of May 17, 1859, when the ten original 'Melbourne' rules were drawn up. 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. The next attempt to reform the football club appears to have been in 1864, although there are no records in existence or newspaper articles to testify to that fact, although Pennings wrote in his book that 'Williamstown reappeared after an absence of some years (in 1865)'. 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. 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. Height: 191cm Weight: 90kg DOB: 06/04/2002 VFL Debut: 2022 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. It was a tribute to Harrison that once again his rules were adopted unanimously and clubs were springing up all over Victoria. The first inter-colonial matches between Victoria and South Australia took place on July 1 and 5, both won easily by the Vics, and the first games were played under electric lights in this season in June and August. Mr W.J. Another grandson, Reg (pictured here being held by his grandmother, Bridget), was emergency in 'Town's 1939 premiership team in his only season with the Club. 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'. Associated clubs Williamstown Reserves; Williamstown WFC. 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.' 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. The first secretary-treasurer was John Christison, the first captain J. Doull and D. Dorgan vice-president. Harold Johns: Played 125 games and kicked 47 goals between 1925 and 1934. 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. A total of 17 goals were scored by the Seconds with only 9 kicked against them. var addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloak411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef').innerHTML += ''+addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. The early captains of the team were John Wigmore (1866), C.F. Ajax is the Netherlands' most successful club and is best known for producing a series of entertaining attacking teams. 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.' Membership totalled 64 in this season. 1864 (merged with South Williamstown 1888) Colours Royal blue and yellow. Real Madrid Football School, The Yards, Joo Chiat, 406 Joo Chiat Place Level 1, Singapore and The Rainforest Sports Hub, Turf City, 2 Turf Club Road, Singapore, +65 91761870, info@frmsingapore.com, www.frmsingapore.com. Henry Harrison, captain of Richmond (1861), Melbourne (1861 and 1863-1871), and Geelong (1862 & 1868), was the codifier of the revised rules of 1866. 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 Argus newspaper confirmed on 29 May, 1860, (see below) that a Williamstown delegate was invited along with eight fellow delegates to the meeting. 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. Reels. Like. 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.' 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. Leading goalscorer was J. Goble with 5 followed by J. Minto with 3, C. Percy 2 while F. Raymer, Jack Litchfield, H. Cardwell, C. Hernan, T. Wauchope, B. Vaughan and Cooper got one each. 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. 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. 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. A. Fowler was elected captain of the Second Twenty with three vice-captains in Litchfield, Percy and Jamieson. New captain, D. McCallum, who had replaced Horace Norman in this season, led his men off the field in protest when he failed to have the umpire changed after a bad decision. The Club had a total of 86 members in this season. The match was lost one goal to NIL. 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. The Melbourne Herald reported on July 5, 1865, that the Williamstown Council granted the football club approval to use Market Reserve for the 1865 season. In 1873, 9 games were played for one win, 5 draws and 3 losses while 3 goals were scored against 8 by the opposition. Mix w/players & coaches from VFLW & VFL. Football, Cricket, Netball and Darts, plus a fantastic Oval and Function Venue for Hire, with fully. Sprint Hall: Played 105 games and kicked 8 goals between 1897 and 1906. Stimulated by the example of these latter, Brunswick, Collingwood (notthe current AFL team, which was formed in 1892) andWilliamstown followed suit'. 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. Groups. The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at theGardens (Fearon) Reserve onJune 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at the. '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. 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.' 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. We are reaching out to the families or next of kin to contact the club as soon as possible. Page 1 of 7. Charlie was the father of Wyn and Mat Outen who both played in Williamstown's first VFA premiership team in 1907 and were both vice-captains during the season. 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. Norman McDonald: Played 106 games and kicked 148 goals between 1919 and 1930. A total of 7 goals were kicked by the Villagers and had 16 scored against them. Military Wiki. 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). Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. It was the club's seventh VFA premiership, and the last won by its senior team. Affiliation (Historical) Victorian Football Association (VFA) 1884-1995. 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. Williamstown Football Club. Official Instagram page of the Williamstown Football Club. Whilst no records can be found of any games in 1870, the Club must have been in existence due to the reference in the 1875 edition of 'The Footballer' to the 'new edition of Williamstown, which was formed in 1870.' Another issue was the fact that players were not bound to any one club so having the same group of players each week could not be relied upon. 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. 1867 saw a proliferation of new clubs emerging, including a second Fitzroy team, East Melbourne, Rysleigh (from the South Melbourne district) and Pentridge. 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. James Mark 'Jerry' Bryant (left) and Tom Wills in 1859 when teammates in the Victorian cricket team. Best players for the Villagers were John Buchanan, John Alexander Springhall jnr, W. Tickell, C. Payne and Horace Norman. 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. People who participate in a great football club, form deep and lasting relationships that nurture and shape who they become as human beings. Bert Reitman: Played 126 games and kicked 10 goals between 1907 and 1914. Williamstown FC Signings Hub All the Seagulls listed below have signed up and a roaring to play in season 2023 VFL document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML = ''; 1888 VFA season. This is confirmed in a report in the Chronicle of May 15 1874 that 'it was resolved to adopt a knickerbocker uniform of blue and white'. #ProudlyWilliamstown. J.K. Ogilvie Smith and R. Murray both kicked 3 goals. The return match against South Melbourne on August 23 was lost 3 goals to nil. 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. Williamstown's 1877 annual report revealed that 12 games were played in that season, of which only 2 were won, 8 lost and 2 draws. However, secretaries of football clubs often had to rely on information that was not always accurate. Charlie passed away on November 20, 1929, aged 73. linktr.ee/Williamstownfc. The club was initially considered a junior club, before being granted senior status in 1884. The rules are seen as one of the most significant documents in the history of the Australian game. Captained the Club in 1911 and 1915 also. Played as a follower for Williamstown and represented the VFA against the VFL at the MCG in 1931. In the Williamstown Chronicle of 19 July 1879, in respect of the game played the previous weekend on 12 July against Sandridge (later renamed Port Melbourne), it was reported that 'the Sandridge team were accompanied by a great many supporters, the greater portion of them belonging to that objectionable class termed larrikins who encroached upon the playing ground thereby greatly impeding the game. By 1875, there were 96 Australian Rules football clubs in Melbourne and its suburbs and 42 clubs in regional areas. addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; The identities of the two players is unknown but it is the oldest photo in the Club's collection. Moss and Worrell one each. Ajax, in full Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also called AFC Ajax, Dutch professional football (soccer) club formed in 1900 in Amsterdam. This email address is being protected from spambots. Trevor Monti wrote the first official summary of the Kelly trial which was published in 1981 and he has maintained an intense interest in the bushranger ever since. Moss was appointed captain for the forthcoming season with J. Monteith vice-captain. 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'. Wardill), Carlton (T.P. 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. Its home ground was where the current Williamstown High School now is. Wally Carter and Terry Wheeler both coached VFL/AFL teams after success at Williamstown. Geelong was not present as it went into recess shortly after its inception, until being revived in a gathering at the British Hotel in Corio Street, Geelong, on May 21, 1860, and played its first senior match against Melbourne at Argyle Paddock in Geelong on September 1. 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. 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'. 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. 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 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'.