There was also a game against an East Melbourne Twenty at Williamstown on August 5 which, it was reported in The Argus of August 7, that 'resulted, after a well-contested game, in a decisive victory for the former' (East Melbourne), two goals to nil. 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. We are also a proud member of Football . To view premiership teams click www.williamstown.com.au/premiership-photos. 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). This year also saw the demise of South Yarra, which finally disbanded after several mediocre seasons. James Mark 'Jerry' Bryant (left) and Tom Wills in 1859 when teammates in the Victorian cricket team. document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML = ''; A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. 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. 03-03-23. The Williamstown Football Club sends its deepest condolences to the Round . var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Norman McDonald: Played 106 games and kicked 148 goals between 1919 and 1930. In total, 5 games were played in the 1871 season, 2 of which were won and 3 lost. Ben Andrews will be at DSV Stadium in 2023. Explore. Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. This email address is being protected from spambots. We are reaching out to the families or next of kin to contact the club as soon as possible. C. Sluse was elected skipper of the Seconds with R. Dalton his deputy. Rutley Brings Back Six Club Legends. Professional Sports Team. Graeme 'Shortty' Shortt 30 Years Strong - Williamstown Football Club He also records that 'the first football "council" was held at the Argus Hotel (in Collins Street) on May 28 (1860).' ', Williamstown Chronicle, September 8, 1877. Captain and back pocket player in the 1907 premiership win over West Melbourne. In 1874, the Club played 12 matches, six of which were won, three were lost and three drawn. He was a cousin of Tom Wills. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; The same scoreline was registered in a game against Hawthorn, also at theGardens (Fearon) Reserve onJune 19, with Trott the only multiple goalkicker. 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. Bryant also provided the ball that was used in the early games of football that were played on the Richmond Paddock from 1858 onwards. A major change occured in the game in 1879 when behinds were recorded for the first time although they didn't count towards the result of matches and the team that kicked the most goals was still the winner. A total of 14 goals were kicked by the Seconds and had 8 scored against them. Charlie passed away on November 20, 1929, aged 73. In 1888, the dispute was settled and two football clubs amalgamated; and, through an organisational affiliation with the cricket club the Williamstown Cricket . His son was one of the early players. Williamstown's newly-reformedSecond Twenty also did well in this season with 5 wins and 2 draws from its 10 matches. Appointed coach for the 1913 season and remained as captain in 1914. Ted Alley: Played 160 games and kicked 20 goals between 1905 and 1915. Williamstown Football Club - 1976 Preliminary Final - YouTube For more information . . 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 other game against a senior team was a one-nil loss at St Kilda on May 25 when the Saints started off with just nine players but picked up enough substitutes to eventually muster sixteen men. Groups. Lack of a controlling body meant that the more powerful clubs such as Melbourne and Carlton tended to concentrate their fixtures against each other and were under no obligation to spread their roster of games. By 1875, there were 96 Australian Rules football clubs in Melbourne and its suburbs and 42 clubs in regional areas. ', Geelong won back-to-back premierships and had not lost a game since September 1877, winning 44 consecutive matches. 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.'. Below is Shortty's recollections of his involvement with the Gulls Coterie and the Football Club in general, over the journey. Bridget, whose maiden name was Cross, is believed to be distantly related to Mark Cross, who played for Williamstown from 1975-79, being captain in his final season, played 74 games and kicked 125 goals, including the 1976 premiership. The 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'. 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. The identities of the two players is unknown but it is the oldest photo in the Club's collection. Litchfield was at home when kicking the ball either left or right foot and he often puzzled his opponents when they thought they had him in a corner by the dexterity in which he would get rid of the leather.'. 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. Buchanan captained the team for one game in September 1872 against South Yarra Seconds when the regular skipper, Horace Norman, was unavailable. PAST PLAYERS DAY - Williamstown Superules Football Club | Facebook 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. '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.' Williamstown Football Club - Wikipedia Starting in 1884, the club competed in the Victorian Football Association. He played for the Football Club in the 1860's & 70's and organised the meeting in May 1870 that restarted the Club. Played as a follower for Williamstown and represented the VFA against the VFL at the MCG in 1931. 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. Proud, passionate and humorous stories tall and true from the men who played in that decade. Williamstown Chronicle, May 15, 1875 - at a meeting held at the Mechanics' Institute in Electra Street on Monday, May 10, 1875, it was resolved to adopt a 'knickerbocker uniform of blue and white.'. 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. Power was also the editor of The Footballer publication during its short life from 1875-82. Furthermore, he was on track to winning the Club best & fairest before being reported for head-butting the emergency umpire in his last game and was subsequently suspended for six matches. The early captains of the team were John Wigmore (1866), C.F. Ajax | History, Football, Notable Players, & Facts | Britannica 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). Played back pocket in the 1921 premiership win over Footscray at the Brunswick Street Oval in Fitzroy. 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. History - Williamstown Football Club T. Crane was appointed captain of the Second Twenty for 1878 with C. Hernan vice-captain. Watch this highlight video of the Williamstown (WV) football team in its game Recap: Williamstown vs. Clay-Battelle 2022 on Nov 12, 2022. Club Captain in 1903 and 1904 was lured to Footscray and led that club to the 1908 premiership. He was also the tide officer at Customs and lived and worked in Williamstown in 1853. The team finished 10th out of 17 junior teams. The new ground was a vast improvement and was looked on by the new administration of President Cr John Jobson and Duncan McLeod, returning as secretary, as a big step towards gaining senior status. The team finished second on the ladder of 'other juniors'. VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. ** The award was then known as The VFA Medal. The rules are seen as one of the most significant documents in the history of the Australian game. Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps clothing and apparel! There was also a 1 goal (kicked by Will Outen) to NIL victory over senior team, Richmond, at Royal Park on September 4. Payne (1870), Horace Norman (1871-73) and D. McCallum (1874-75). 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. Royal Park also emerged in May, 1862, along with an Essendon/Flemington combination, followed by Eastern Hill (East Melbourne) in 1863. 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. Harrison acted as codifier of a final list of thirteen rules, which were signed off by the representatives of Melbourne (Harrison and R.W. Click to see who will be lining up this weekend for Williamstown. 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. 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. 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. Bert Reitman: Played 126 games and kicked 10 goals between 1907 and 1914.