The first ground used by Williamstown was the Market Reserve, opposite St Mary's Catholic Church, and bounded by Cecil, Cole and Hanmer Streets. In 1886, players wishing to play on the cricket ground ultimately established a rival senior club, the South Williamstown Football Club, which also contested the VFA for two seasons. Its home ground was where the current Williamstown High School now is. Like. 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. 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. SJ Fowler was one of the early secretaries and one of their first captains was Johnny Rees, a former Williamstown player. 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. 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. Official Instagram page of the Williamstown Football Club. Williamstown finished fourth on the list of 'leading junior clubs' at the end of 1875, winning 5 games out of the 9 played, with 3 draws and just the one loss, in the best result in the Club's brief history. Our aim is to build a strong foundation that is both professional and sustainable and sets Port Melbourne Football Club up as a destination club for female and male footballers, coaches, staff and volunteers. C. Sluse was elected skipper of the Seconds with R. Dalton his deputy. Liam Conway. 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 as a follower for Williamstown and represented the VFA against the VFL at the MCG in 1931. His son was one of the early players. In country Victoria, the major clubs were now Geelong, Ballarat, Sandhurst and Kyneton. The 'Rules of Football' as drawn up at the meeting at the Argus Hotel on May 28, 1860, where a Williamstown delegate was present. The May 17, 1859, 'Melbourne Rules', later renamed 'Victorian Rules' following the meeting in May, 1860. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. 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 premiership was won by the Geelong Football Club. 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. Wills also captained Melbourne in a game against St Kilda on July 7, while Harrison also played for Melbourne against Geelong later in the year. 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. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. VFL & VFLW Squads Announced. The only other win for the season was over Hotham United. 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 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. The return match against Wesley College was at Fawkner Park on August 26 with Wesley winning one goal to none (refer report below). Mr W.J. These colours were retained until 1888, and also featured a black cap with a yellow Maltese cross. Williamstown's newly-reformedSecond Twenty also did well in this season with 5 wins and 2 draws from its 10 matches. The team finished eighth on a ladder of 14 teams. 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'. Wardill), Carlton (T.P. 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. 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. 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 goalkickers were C. Percy, F. Raymer and D. Burke with 2 each. var addy_text98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloak98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc').innerHTML += ''+addy_text98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; 1864 (merged with South Williamstown 1888) Colours Royal blue and yellow. They were renamed the 'Victorian Rules' at the meeting and continued to evolve into the game we all know today. Ajax, in full Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax, also called AFC Ajax, Dutch professional football (soccer) club formed in 1900 in Amsterdam. . Kelly was just 17yo when he was imprisoned from June 1873 to January 1874 on the floating prison hulk, Sacramento, which was docked at Pt Gellibrand. Horace Norman was re-appointed captain for the third consecutive season at the meeting but resigned before the first practice match on April 26. var addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = 'admin' + '@'; 'Town kicked 4 goals and had 9 goals scored against them. 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. var addybb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9 = 'admin' + '@'; Mark Fotheringham (Australian footballer), Dick Harris (Australian rules footballer), Ben Kennedy (Australian rules footballer), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Williamstown_Football_Club_players&oldid=867053321, This page was last edited on 3 November 2018, at 09:17. Power was also the editor of The Footballer publication during its short life from 1875-82. 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. 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. Clubs also began to appear in regional areas, with Sandhurst forming in 1861 (captained by James Thompson, who was one of the MCC committee who drew up the 1859 Melbourne rules) and a Ballarat side in 1862, together with Bendigo, Kangaroo Flat and Maryborough. 1970's - Max Papley (Coach of the Decade)Great football clubs are more than successful on and off the field; they are more than a place to play and enjoy the. The identities of the two players is unknown but it is the oldest photo in the Club's collection. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; Watch this highlight video of the Williamstown (WV) football team in its game Recap: Williamstown vs. Clay-Battelle 2022 on Nov 12, 2022. 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. He was a cousin of Henry Harrison. By 1875, there were 96 Australian Rules football clubs in Melbourne and its suburbs and 42 clubs in regional areas. 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. 1970's 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 . *The award was then known as The Recorder Cup. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. Williamstown Football Club home of the Seagulls since 1864. 24 goals were kicked, the most by any of the 'junior' clubs, while the opponents booted 12. 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. Williamstown had an indifferent season but did manage to play a game against Melbourne which was lost, 2.0 to 0.1. Riggall had also played for Royal Park in 1865 and Carlton in 1866. Registration- admin@williamstownfc.com.au Sponsorship opportunities available w/prominent branding on course. www.williamstown.com.au/premiership-photos, VFLW & VFLW Practice Match Squads Announced. 'The Footballer' publication of 1879 stated that the 'Fishing Village is strong in football, and musters three clubs, Williamstown, North Williamstown and Battery United .. although there is not much to choose between the last two. 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. 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. Each of these Premierships hold special memories for our club. The Second Twenty had a more successful season, playing 9 matches of which five were won, two lost with two draws. Both played in 1876 when 'Town won the Junior Challenge Cup, the Club's first piece of silverware. North Melbourne Kangaroos Past Players Lidge's Lounge. Two other sons, Jack and Percy, also played for 'Town, in 1909 and 1928, respectively. 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.' Alfred Thomas Clark resumed as president in 1873 and would remain in that role until 1875. Games record holder:Ben Jolley 217 (2008-2018), Goals record holder: Ron Todd 672 (1940-1949), Most premierships as coach: Wally Carter 3 (1954-55-56), Longest-serving coach: Gerry Callahan 202 games (1958-67, 118 wins, 81 losses, 3 draws), Longest-serving captain: 6 seasons, Gerry Callahan (1954-59) and Ben Jolley (2012-17), Most premierships as player: 5 Gerry Callahan, Ray Smith & John Ramsay (1954-55-56-58-59), 4 Johnny Martin & Frank Sims(1954-55-56-58)Bob Jones,Jack Evans & Eric Bietzel(1955-56-58-59)Len Kent (1954-56-58-59), 3 Jack Curran, Max Munday, Sid Wookey, Reg Fisher & Alby Linton(1954-55-56) Neil Whittaker (1954-55-58) Colin Wilcox (1939-45-49), Longest-serving president: Trevor Monti 17 years (1999-2015), Norm Goss Medallists: Tony Pastore 1986, Barry Round 1990, Adrian Fletcher 2003, Michael Gibbons 2015, J.J. Liston Trophy winners: Charlie Stanbridge (1933*), Fred Brooks (1935**), Neville Huggins (1936** and 1937*), Arthur Cutting (1938* and 1939**), Des Fothergill (1941*), Johnny Martin (1956), Barry Round (1987), Brett McTaggart (1988), Saade Ghazi (1989), Paul Dooley (1996) and Michael Gibbons (2016 and 2018). The team finished second on the ladder of 'other juniors'. Appealing to the central umpire was useless, that responsible functionary filling his post so unsatisfactorily that is was compulsory to relieve him of his duties, but his successor did not in the slightest degree remedy matters. To view premiership teams click www.williamstown.com.au/premiership-photos. 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. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; The loss against South Melbourne on the Gardens Reserve was the first ever sustained there by the Club. The 1888 Victorian Football Association season was the 12th season of the Australian rules football competition. However, secretaries of football clubs often had to rely on information that was not always accurate. Under the coaching of Jack Reynolds in three . Geelong won their first of seven VFA premierships in this season, ending the dominance of Melbourne and Carlton over Victorian football. 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. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA. 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 Australasian newspaper, when reviewing the senior and more important junior clubs at the end of the 1870 season, listed Williamstown amongst 'Other Clubs' and gratuitously added that the brief reference was 'just to show that the existence of the club was not entirely forgotten'. 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. 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. In this instance, there appears to be confusion about the year the Club was re-formed with the actual year of its formation. Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. Monday-Friday: 9am to 5pm; Satuday: 10am to 2pm. 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. Power and B. James), Royal Park (J.E. A total of 14 goals were kicked by the Seconds and had 8 scored against them. 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. 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. The Argus newspaper confirmed on 29 May, 1860, (see below) that a Williamstown delegate was invited along with eight fellow delegates to the meeting. There was also a 1 goal (kicked by Will Outen) to NIL victory over senior team, Richmond, at Royal Park on September 4. He was a cousin of Tom Wills. At the annual meeting held in respect of the 1879 season at the Mechanics Institute on April 7, 1880, E.G. 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. In total, 5 games were played in the 1871 season, 2 of which were won and 3 lost. 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. Wally Carter and Terry Wheeler both coached VFL/AFL teams after success at Williamstown. TRAILBLAZERS: 1864 - 1900. var addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef = 'admin' + '@' + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au';document.getElementById('cloak411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef').innerHTML += ''+addy_text411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef+'<\/a>'; 2015 Williamstown Footbal Club - Site design by AdTorque Edge. The Williamstown Football Club held its inaugural Hall of Fame function at Crown Casinon Saturday 31st May 2014. 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.' 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. Bob Waycott was captain and P. Conroy vice-captain. 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. Neither Hawthorn or St Kilda were connected to the current AFL clubs. 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. A solid defender who joined the club from Collingwood. The Official Facebook page of the Williamstown Football Club. Williamstown Chronicle, September 2, 1871. 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. 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. 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'. For some unknown reason, the Club did not appear to continue with the 'Third Twenty' in 1877. document.getElementById('cloak411e8c6229cee0e943110ba503223fef').innerHTML = ''; Tom Wills umpired the game, which had no marked boundary line and the goals were approximately a mile apart. We are also a proud member of Football . 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. An important change was made in the rules just before the 1869 season began. He also records that 'the first football "council" was held at the Argus Hotel (in Collins Street) on May 28 (1860).' Tom Monteith received a 'handsome silver-mounted emu egg .. for the best all-round player during the season 1877'. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Williamstown played 15 matches in 1879, winning 4, losing 8 and drawing 3. Bert Reitman: Played 126 games and kicked 10 goals between 1907 and 1914. 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. Wills was the first captain of Melbourne in 1859 and Harrison was a teammate. 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. 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. The Collingwood team was not connected to the current AFL team. Bryant was licensee of the Parade Hotel on Wellington Parade where the original Melbourne Rules were drawn up in May 1859. 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 . In 1873, 9 games were played for one win, 5 draws and 3 losses while 3 goals were scored against 8 by the opposition. 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. 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. Williamstown's original colours were black and yellow. 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. About 100 clubs were now playing in Victoria, including 70 junior and school teams in Melbourne and about 10 junior clubs in Geelong. In 1874, the Club played 12 matches, six of which were won, three were lost and three drawn. Shop for your Williamstown High School Superior Cotton Twill Low Profile Style Caps spirit wear here! Williamstown Chronicle, May 13, 1876 - the 'Cup campaign' referred to in the article is the Junior Challenge Cup which is explained below. See what Nick Rutley is doing for the group. Amazingly, 21 goals were kicked during the season with just one major scored against the Villagers. Stanbridge also won the VFA Medal the same year, as did Neville Huggins in 1937, Arthur Cutting in 1938 and Des Fothergill in 1941. Our Major Partners. 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. 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.'. document.getElementById('cloakbb0b214de571d490efda32391d5e6ef9').innerHTML = ''; This email address is being protected from spambots. addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc = addy98c4d7b017a5593e90d954012576f9fc + 'williamstownfc' + '.' + 'com' + '.' + 'au'; 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. 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. Harold Johns: Played 125 games and kicked 47 goals between 1925 and 1934. John Rees, pictured here when he was the first Town Clerk of Williamstown, began his long career with the Williamstown Football Club in 1874. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 4 PLAYERS. 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. Proud, passionate and humorous stories tall and true from the men who played in that decade. A listing of players to have played with Williamstown in the Victorian Football League, previously known as the VFA.