South Williamstown Football Club
| Williamstown Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Names | ||
| Full name | Williamstown Football Club | |
| Nickname(s) | The Seagulls, Town | |
| Club details | ||
| Founded | 1864 | |
| Colours | Blue Gold | |
| Competition | Victorian Football League | |
| President | Anthony "Freddie " Hall | |
| Coach | Andy Collins | |
| Captain(s) | Ben Jolley | |
| Premierships |
Div 1: 14 (1907, 1921, 1939, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1986, 1990, 2003, 2015) Div 2: 2 (1969, 1976) |
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| Ground(s) | Williamstown Cricket Ground (capacity: 7,500) | |
| Uniforms | ||
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| Other information | ||
| Official website | williamstownfc.com.au | |
The Williamstown Football Club, nicknamed The Seagulls, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne. The club currently competes in the Victorian Football League.
The Williamstown Football Club was formed in 1864, making it one of the oldest football clubs in Australia. The club was initially considered a junior club, before being granted senior status in 1884. Starting in 1884, the club competed in the Victorian Football Association. Williamstown's original colours were black and yellow.
When it joined the VFA, the Williamstown Football Club sought to play its matches at the Williamstown Cricket Ground, but was not granted permission owing to a dispute with the Williamstown Cricket Club, and instead used the unfenced Gardens Reserve as its home ground. 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. In 1888, the dispute was settled and two football clubs amalgamated; and, through an organisational affiliation with the cricket club the Williamstown Cricket Ground was established as the football club's permanent home ground. The Williamstown and South Williamstown clubs were off-field rivals, but they never played a match against each other.
The suburb of Williamstown was named after King William IV in 1837 and was often referred to as “the village” or “the fishing village” in nineteenth century Melbourne; the club was thus known by the nickname “the Villagers” in its early years. In the late 1930s, Larry Floyd and Bill Dooley decided to adopt a more modern nickname, and the club became formally known as “the Seagulls”. Throughout its history, the club has also been colloquially known by the abbreviated name '‘Town.
Williamstown won its first VFA premiership in 1907, and its second in 1921. Following three unsuccessful finals appearances between 1922 and 1924, the club was weak for the next fourteen seasons, winning just 77 of 255 matches and playing just one final – losing to Oakleigh in 1930. Owing to severe local employment problems during the Great Depression, the club was consistently short of money, despite a number of notable individual successes with several players winning Recorder Cups and VFA Medals.
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