Williamstown Football Club
Encyclopedia
The Williamstown Football Club, nicknamed The Seagulls, is an Australian rules football
club based in Melbourne
and are currently playing in the Victorian Football League
. The club was formed in 1864 and is one of the oldest in Australia.
Other clubs at the time were Melbourne, Geelong, South Yarra, Carlton, Albert Park, Royal Park, Brunswick, University, Warehouseman's, Kyneton, Ballarat, Hotham and Belfast (Port Fairy). Games were organised on a fairly ad hoc arrangement and the Victorian Football Association was formed on May 7, 1877.
Williamstown was granted "senior status" in 1884 and joined the VFA. South Williamstown was also in the VFA at that time but the two local teams never met. They merged in 1888 and Williamstown's original colours of black and yellow were changed to blue and gold.
Williamstown (the town) was named after King William IV in 1837 and was often referred to as the "village" in 19th century Melbourne. The nickname "The Villagers" stuck with the footy club until the late 1930s when Larry Floyd and Bill Dooley (great grand father of Leigh and Paul) decided a more appropriate synonym was needed and adopted the "Seagulls".
Williamstown Football Club has won a premiership in each decade of the 1900s except the second - 1907, 1921, 1939, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1969 (Second Division), 1976 (Second Division), 1986, 1990. Each of these Premierships hold special memories for our club - the 1939 flag followed one of the worst years in the club's history - 1938 Williamstown finished last in the competition and was on the brink of disaster. It had also finished last in 1934 and 35 and near last in 1933, 36 and 37. However two men, Dooley and Floyd, decided on a bold and daring recruiting raid of the VFL and hired Ron Todd
- probably one of the greatest players ever in the competition - and Des Fothergill
to turn disaster into great success.
The teams of the 50s were skilful and well coached by Wally Carter and Gerry Callahan. The string of premierships that followed was fair reward for an era of good management and hard work.
Then Williamstown slumped and by the middle of the 60s was headed for Second Division at the end of 1967. Max Papley - Best and Fairest at South Melbourne - was appointed Captain and Coach and after losing the Grand Final in 1968 went on to win promotion to First Division - no mean feat. Papley was a fine player and an excellent coach who left his mark on Williamstown and the VFA.
Max was followed by Barry Gill - ex-Carlton and then the club appointed Ted Whitten as Coach in 1975. Williamstown finished last - back to Second Division and farewell to EJ! Mal Allen from the enemy - Port Melbourne - won a Second Division Premiership and Willy returned to the First Division for one year. Merv Hobbs
- Footscray, and Rod Oborne - Collingwood and Richmond had little success.
Then the Board of Management had the foresight to appoint Terry Wheeler
in 1984 and by 1986 Terry had gathered a group of players together including Barry Round
and Tony Pastore
good enough to win the Premiership. This Grand Final had all the hallmarks of high drama - Phil Cleary
was the Captain Coach of Coburg and was sent of the ground by the field umpire. In the time he was off the game was as good as over - Willy to win its first senior division pennant since 1959.
More excitement was to follow. After two defeats by Coburg, Williamstown overcame great odds to win the 1990 Premiership against Springvale. Great memories captured in full living colour for everyone to see and re-live.
The 1990 Premiership was the most satisfying of them all - won in the face of tremendous odds. Appearing to finish runners-up for the third consecutive year, the events in the last quarter almost defied belief.
Football clubs have their good and poor times. It is the measure of good footballs that strength is gained from the poor times. During the middle 1990s Williamstown slipped - after finishing second to Sandringham in 1992 success began to desert the club and in 1995 the club failed to win a game in either the firsts or seconds. The administration also lost its way and the club was on the brink of folding and joining many other ex-VFA teams on the scrap heap.
The spirit of players who stayed and played in that period had to be seen to be believed. It does one good to reflect on the efforts of players like Pas and Saade, Adam Bugeja, Richie Hore, Adam Hough, Tommy McGowan and Troy West among many others who stayed when others left for much greener pastures.
The cycle continued in 1996 with the appointment of Merv Keane and the re-organisation of the administration. As in 1939 and 1968 before, a football team is lead by its administration - the revamped Board and staff of the club have begun the long and difficult task of establishing a long-term future for this proud club.
The mid 1990's saw many changes to the competition. Firstly VFA clubs were granted a licence which linked each club with an affiliated TAC Cup Under 18 club - in Williamstown's case the Western Jets. With the competition and its member clubs struggling to survive financially, a dwindling supporter base and our relevance in the football landscape diminishing; a revamp of the competition was necessary.
While Williamstown is well known for the players who have played here and gone onto greatness elsewhere - Ian Fairley
, Ron James
, Danny Delre, among them - this club has also been to the forefront with providing plethora of administrators to the VFA and VFL.
Three Williamstown men have been President of the Victorian Football Association - J.J. Liston (he of the Liston Medal and Liston Stakes), John Grieve and Tony Hannebery (former player, President of the WFC and former All-Australian Amateur footballer).
Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. Wally Carter and Terry Wheeler both coached VFL/AFL teams after success at Williamstown. Many former players have gone on from Williamstown to coach successfully in local competitions - Mark Fotheringham at Keilor, Ken Barnes at Spotswood, Ian Rickman
with Lara among many, many more.
At the end of the 2007 season, Collingwood chose to field their own stand alone side in the VFL and Williamstown formed a new alignment with Western suburbs neighbours the Western Bulldogs. This partnership is now in its 4th season and over the last 3 years a number of players have graduated from the Seagulls to the Bulldogs.
The Williamstown Football Club in 2011 did not play or train at Point Gellibrand Oval (Burbank Oval) due to a $8.3 million redevelopment. This sees the Club playing the majority of its home games at Werribee with one off home games at Torquay, Keilor and Wangaratta.
Three Williamstown men have been President of the Victorian Football Association - J.J. Liston (he of the Liston Medal and Liston Stakes), John Grieve and Tony Hannebery (former player, President of the WFC and former All-Australian Amateur footballer).
Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. Wally Carter
and Terry Wheeler both coached VFL/AFL teams after success at Williamstown.
In 2011 Williamstown were one of the 16 teams from around Australia who took part in the inaugural Foxtel Cup
. They defeated WAFL
team Swan Districts
at Patersons Stadium
in Perth before easily accounting for SANFL
team West Adelaide
in their Quarter Finals match at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide
. Their first game at 'home' was in the Semi Finals against East Perth
at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne where they advanced to the Grand Final with an easy 71 point win.
The Grand Final of the Foxtel Cup was played at Patersons Stadium between Williamstown and Claremont
of the WAFL. After a hard fought match, The Seagulls won the Foxtel Cup running out winners by 21 points, 9 5 (59) to 5 8 (38).
, with the alliance starting before the 2008 VFL season. The Bulldogs had originally been aligned with the Seagulls in 2000 (a partial-alignment shared with Werribee
. http://williamstown.footballvic.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=126845
----
consists of a blue background with a diagonal yellow sash.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
club based in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and are currently playing in the Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
. The club was formed in 1864 and is one of the oldest in Australia.
Other clubs at the time were Melbourne, Geelong, South Yarra, Carlton, Albert Park, Royal Park, Brunswick, University, Warehouseman's, Kyneton, Ballarat, Hotham and Belfast (Port Fairy). Games were organised on a fairly ad hoc arrangement and the Victorian Football Association was formed on May 7, 1877.
Williamstown was granted "senior status" in 1884 and joined the VFA. South Williamstown was also in the VFA at that time but the two local teams never met. They merged in 1888 and Williamstown's original colours of black and yellow were changed to blue and gold.
Williamstown (the town) was named after King William IV in 1837 and was often referred to as the "village" in 19th century Melbourne. The nickname "The Villagers" stuck with the footy club until the late 1930s when Larry Floyd and Bill Dooley (great grand father of Leigh and Paul) decided a more appropriate synonym was needed and adopted the "Seagulls".
Williamstown Football Club has won a premiership in each decade of the 1900s except the second - 1907, 1921, 1939, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1969 (Second Division), 1976 (Second Division), 1986, 1990. Each of these Premierships hold special memories for our club - the 1939 flag followed one of the worst years in the club's history - 1938 Williamstown finished last in the competition and was on the brink of disaster. It had also finished last in 1934 and 35 and near last in 1933, 36 and 37. However two men, Dooley and Floyd, decided on a bold and daring recruiting raid of the VFL and hired Ron Todd
Ron Todd
Ronald Todd , generally known as Ron Todd, was the general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union , then the largest general trade union in the United Kingdom, from 1985 until 1992....
- probably one of the greatest players ever in the competition - and Des Fothergill
Des Fothergill
Desmond Hugh Fothergill was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League , and briefly in the Victorian Football Association ....
to turn disaster into great success.
The teams of the 50s were skilful and well coached by Wally Carter and Gerry Callahan. The string of premierships that followed was fair reward for an era of good management and hard work.
Then Williamstown slumped and by the middle of the 60s was headed for Second Division at the end of 1967. Max Papley - Best and Fairest at South Melbourne - was appointed Captain and Coach and after losing the Grand Final in 1968 went on to win promotion to First Division - no mean feat. Papley was a fine player and an excellent coach who left his mark on Williamstown and the VFA.
Max was followed by Barry Gill - ex-Carlton and then the club appointed Ted Whitten as Coach in 1975. Williamstown finished last - back to Second Division and farewell to EJ! Mal Allen from the enemy - Port Melbourne - won a Second Division Premiership and Willy returned to the First Division for one year. Merv Hobbs
Merv Hobbs
Mervyn 'Merv' Hobbs is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the VFL during the early 1960s.A rover, Hobbs is best remembered for a spectacular mark which he took in the 1961 Preliminary Final where Footscray upset Melbourne to end their streak of seven successive Grand...
- Footscray, and Rod Oborne - Collingwood and Richmond had little success.
Then the Board of Management had the foresight to appoint Terry Wheeler
Terry Wheeler
Terry Wheeler is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached Footscray in the Australian Football League....
in 1984 and by 1986 Terry had gathered a group of players together including Barry Round
Barry Round
Barry Round played for Footscray and South Melbourne/Sydney in the Victorian Football League between 1969 and 1985. Along the way, he played 328 games , won a Brownlow Medal in 1981 and was the Swans' first captain during the Sydney era...
and Tony Pastore
Tony Pastore
Tony Pastore is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League .Pastore played his only senior game for Richmond in round six of the 1987 VFL season, in a loss to Melbourne at the MCG....
good enough to win the Premiership. This Grand Final had all the hallmarks of high drama - Phil Cleary
Phil Cleary
Philip Ronald Cleary is an Australian commentator on politics and sport, particularly Australian rules football, and a former independent politician elected at the 1992 Wills by-election.-Football playing career:...
was the Captain Coach of Coburg and was sent of the ground by the field umpire. In the time he was off the game was as good as over - Willy to win its first senior division pennant since 1959.
More excitement was to follow. After two defeats by Coburg, Williamstown overcame great odds to win the 1990 Premiership against Springvale. Great memories captured in full living colour for everyone to see and re-live.
The 1990 Premiership was the most satisfying of them all - won in the face of tremendous odds. Appearing to finish runners-up for the third consecutive year, the events in the last quarter almost defied belief.
Football clubs have their good and poor times. It is the measure of good footballs that strength is gained from the poor times. During the middle 1990s Williamstown slipped - after finishing second to Sandringham in 1992 success began to desert the club and in 1995 the club failed to win a game in either the firsts or seconds. The administration also lost its way and the club was on the brink of folding and joining many other ex-VFA teams on the scrap heap.
The spirit of players who stayed and played in that period had to be seen to be believed. It does one good to reflect on the efforts of players like Pas and Saade, Adam Bugeja, Richie Hore, Adam Hough, Tommy McGowan and Troy West among many others who stayed when others left for much greener pastures.
The cycle continued in 1996 with the appointment of Merv Keane and the re-organisation of the administration. As in 1939 and 1968 before, a football team is lead by its administration - the revamped Board and staff of the club have begun the long and difficult task of establishing a long-term future for this proud club.
The mid 1990's saw many changes to the competition. Firstly VFA clubs were granted a licence which linked each club with an affiliated TAC Cup Under 18 club - in Williamstown's case the Western Jets. With the competition and its member clubs struggling to survive financially, a dwindling supporter base and our relevance in the football landscape diminishing; a revamp of the competition was necessary.
While Williamstown is well known for the players who have played here and gone onto greatness elsewhere - Ian Fairley
Ian Fairley
Ian Fairley is a former Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne during the 1980s and 90s. A utility player, he was the club's leading goalkicker in 1989 and retired after winning the 1996 Grand Final with North Melbourne in which he kicked the final goal of the game, a perfect...
, Ron James
Ron James
Ron James MBE is a mountaineer, rock climber, writer and co-founder of the Ogwen Cottage Mountain School in Snowdonia, North Wales, UK.He was an accomplished rock climber with over 40 first ascents in North Wales many of which have become classics such as Grey Arete, Glyder Fawr, Meshach and the...
, Danny Delre, among them - this club has also been to the forefront with providing plethora of administrators to the VFA and VFL.
Three Williamstown men have been President of the Victorian Football Association - J.J. Liston (he of the Liston Medal and Liston Stakes), John Grieve and Tony Hannebery (former player, President of the WFC and former All-Australian Amateur footballer).
Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. Wally Carter and Terry Wheeler both coached VFL/AFL teams after success at Williamstown. Many former players have gone on from Williamstown to coach successfully in local competitions - Mark Fotheringham at Keilor, Ken Barnes at Spotswood, Ian Rickman
Ian Rickman
Ian Rickman is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Victorian Football League during the 1980s.Rickman, who was of a large build, arrived at Footscray from Preston...
with Lara among many, many more.
At the end of the 2007 season, Collingwood chose to field their own stand alone side in the VFL and Williamstown formed a new alignment with Western suburbs neighbours the Western Bulldogs. This partnership is now in its 4th season and over the last 3 years a number of players have graduated from the Seagulls to the Bulldogs.
The Williamstown Football Club in 2011 did not play or train at Point Gellibrand Oval (Burbank Oval) due to a $8.3 million redevelopment. This sees the Club playing the majority of its home games at Werribee with one off home games at Torquay, Keilor and Wangaratta.
Three Williamstown men have been President of the Victorian Football Association - J.J. Liston (he of the Liston Medal and Liston Stakes), John Grieve and Tony Hannebery (former player, President of the WFC and former All-Australian Amateur footballer).
Williamstown has proved a great training ground for coaches as well. Wally Carter
Wally Carter
Wally Carter was an Australian rules footballer who played for and coached North Melbourne in the VFL....
and Terry Wheeler both coached VFL/AFL teams after success at Williamstown.
In 2011 Williamstown were one of the 16 teams from around Australia who took part in the inaugural Foxtel Cup
Foxtel Cup
The League Championship Cup is an Australian rules football club knockout cup competition involving clubs from the various state league competitions from around Australia – plus the AFL's newest expansion side Greater Western Sydney Giants.Its purpose is to support and promote the second-tier...
. They defeated WAFL
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
team Swan Districts
Swan Districts Football Club
The Swan Districts Football Club, nicknamed the Swans, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The club is based at Bassendean Oval, in Bassendean, an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia...
at Patersons Stadium
Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval , known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia...
in Perth before easily accounting for SANFL
South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the governing body for the sport of Australian rules football in South Australia....
team West Adelaide
West Adelaide Football Club
West Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League . Commonly known as The Bloods and Westies, the clubs home base is City Mazda Stadium located in Richmond, an inner-western suburb of Adelaide.-Early Years :West Adelaide was formed in...
in their Quarter Finals match at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Their first game at 'home' was in the Semi Finals against East Perth
East Perth Football Club
The East Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Royals, is an Australian rules football club that is a member of the West Australian Football League...
at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne where they advanced to the Grand Final with an easy 71 point win.
The Grand Final of the Foxtel Cup was played at Patersons Stadium between Williamstown and Claremont
Claremont Football Club
The Claremont Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . Its official colours are navy blue and gold....
of the WAFL. After a hard fought match, The Seagulls won the Foxtel Cup running out winners by 21 points, 9 5 (59) to 5 8 (38).
Collingwood Football Club
The Seagulls were aligned to the Collingwood Football Club from 2000 until 2007, enjoying success in the 2003 season when they won their most recent VFL premiership. The alliance was broken at the conclusion of the 2007 season, when both sides came to a mutual agreement to cancel the final year of the contract so that Collingwood could establish their own stand alone VFL side. http://williamstown.footballvic.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=126439Western Bulldogs Football Club
Shortly after Collingwood had broken ties with the club, Williamstown announced that they had signed a 3 year deal with the Western Bulldogs Football ClubWestern Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
, with the alliance starting before the 2008 VFL season. The Bulldogs had originally been aligned with the Seagulls in 2000 (a partial-alignment shared with Werribee
Werribee Football Club
The Werribee Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club, based in Werribee, was formed in 1965 and currently plays in the Victorian Football League. Werribee was defeated by the Sandringham Football Club in the 2005 VFL Grand Final.-History:The Werribee Football Club...
. http://williamstown.footballvic.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&aid=126845
Premierships
- Foxtel Cup (1): 2011
- Division One (13): 1907, 1921, 1939, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1986, 1990, 2003
- Division Two (2): 1969, 1976
J.J. Liston Medalists
- Charlie StanbridgeCharlie StanbridgeCharles Stanbridge was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the VFL during the 1920s....
(1933), Fred Brooks (1935), Neville HugginsNeville HugginsNeville Huggins was an Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy and North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League ....
(1937), Arthur Cutting (1938), Des FothergillDes FothergillDesmond Hugh Fothergill was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League , and briefly in the Victorian Football Association ....
(1941), John Martin (1956), Barry RoundBarry RoundBarry Round played for Footscray and South Melbourne/Sydney in the Victorian Football League between 1969 and 1985. Along the way, he played 328 games , won a Brownlow Medal in 1981 and was the Swans' first captain during the Sydney era...
(1987), Brett McTaggart (1988), Saade Ghazi (1989), Paul DooleyPaul Dooley-Personal life:Dooley was born Paul Dooley Brown in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the son of Ruth Irene , a homemaker, and Peter James Brown, a factory worker. Dooley was a cartoonist as a youth and drew a strip for a local paper in Parkersburg. He joined the Navy before discovering acting while at...
(1996)
Norm Goss Medalists
- Tony PastoreTony PastoreTony Pastore is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League .Pastore played his only senior game for Richmond in round six of the 1987 VFL season, in a loss to Melbourne at the MCG....
(1986), Barry RoundBarry RoundBarry Round played for Footscray and South Melbourne/Sydney in the Victorian Football League between 1969 and 1985. Along the way, he played 328 games , won a Brownlow Medal in 1981 and was the Swans' first captain during the Sydney era...
(1990), Adrian FletcherAdrian FletcherAdrian Fletcher is a former Australian rules footballer and current assistant coach. He is regarded as one of football's nomads, having played for five Australian Football League clubs in his 13 year career...
(2003)
Honour Role
Year
|
Captains
|
Coaches
|
Gerry Callahan Medalists
|
Team Of The Century
| Back | Eric Beitzel | Max Munday | John Ramsay |
| Half Back | Brett McTaggart | Gerry Callahan | Colin Wilcox |
| Centre | Jim Caldwell Jim Caldwell (footballer) Jim Caldwell was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League .... |
Max Papley Max Papley Max Papley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the VFL.Prior to joining Souths, Papley had played with Moorabbin, captaining them to a premiership and kicking 6 goals in the grand final... |
John Martin |
| Half Forward | Ray Smith | Ron Todd Ron Todd (footballer) Ronald Walford Todd was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League in the 1930s, and with Williamstown in the Victorian Football Association in the 1940s. Todd was an acrobatic and pacy forward, possessing a strong overhead mark... |
Ian Rickman Ian Rickman Ian Rickman is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the Victorian Football League during the 1980s.Rickman, who was of a large build, arrived at Footscray from Preston... |
| Forward | Harry Simpson | Mark Fotheringham | Saade Ghazi |
| Ruck | Barry Round Barry Round Barry Round played for Footscray and South Melbourne/Sydney in the Victorian Football League between 1969 and 1985. Along the way, he played 328 games , won a Brownlow Medal in 1981 and was the Swans' first captain during the Sydney era... |
Eric Glass Eric Glass Eric G. "Tarzan" Glass was an Australian rules footballer who played for East Fremantle in the West Australian Football League , with the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League and with Williamstown in the Victorian Football Association... |
Alby Linton Alby Linton Alby Linton was an Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray in the VFL.A rover, Linton was recruited from Footscray locally and made his debut in 1947... |
| Interchange | Reg Harley | Bob Jones | Len Kent |
| Kim Kershaw | Tony Pastore Tony Pastore Tony Pastore is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League .Pastore played his only senior game for Richmond in round six of the 1987 VFL season, in a loss to Melbourne at the MCG.... |
Tom Russell | |
| Captain | Gerry Callahan | ||
| Coach | Wally Carter Wally Carter Wally Carter was an Australian rules footballer who played for and coached North Melbourne in the VFL.... |
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Jumper
The Williamstown Football Club's guernseyGuernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
consists of a blue background with a diagonal yellow sash.