Australian Football's Origins - All Photos

Tom Wills Memorial At Moyston

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:38:46 +0000

by Chris Wills Australia Rules creator Tom Wills grew up near Moyston at Lexington Station in the Western District of Victoria. Football legend and AFL ambassador Kevin Sheedy, took time out to remember the grass roots of AFL football with a visit to the Tom Wills Memorial at Moyston. Sheedy was part of the AFL's 150th anniversary celebrations at Moyston.

Lexington Homestead

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:23:55 +0000

by Chris Wills Lexington Homestead, Great Western-Moyston Road near Moyston, is one of the earliest surviving substantial homesteads in Victoria. Lexington also has historical associations with the early settlement of the district, having been taken up by Horatio Wills in 1842.Horatio was the father of Tom Wills who was instrumental in the founding of Australian Rules Football who spent his childhood years at the homestead. Some historians believe that Tom Wills absorbed aspects of the game while playing with Aborigines on his father's Lexington Station, near Moyston in the shadow of the Grampians ranges.

MCG Hotel

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:44:57 +0000

by Chris Wills

Tom Wills - One of early Victoria's greatest cricketers.

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:22:22 +0000

by Chris Wills Tom Wills was one of Victoria's greatest cricketers and developed the game of football to keep cricketers fit during the off season. Wills was no doubt the most instrumental person involved in establishing the Australian game of football as he did more than any other person - as footballer and umpire, co-writer of the rules and promoter of the game - to develop Australian Football during its first decade.

First Game Played In Richmond Paddock (Yarra Park) 1858

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:26:00 +0000

by Chris Wills First recorded game played between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College on the 7 August 1858. A letter by Tom Wills was published in Bell's Life in Victoria & Sporting Chronicle on 10 July 1858, called for a football club with a code of laws to keep cricketers fit during winter is widely regarded as the most significant milestone in the organisation of Australian football. It was during 1858 that references to the first football clubs in Melbourne began to appear, including Richmond Cricketers, St Kilda and Melbourne. Wills' letter attracted football players to an experimental match, at the Richmond Paddock (later known as Yarra Park next to the MCG) on 31 July 1858. Not much is known about the match except that Tom Wills both played in and umpired the game. On 7 August 1858 the first recorded match was between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College began at Richmond Park, which was umpired by Wills and McAdam and also involved Scotch headmaster Thomas H. Smith. A second day of play took place on 21 August and a third, and final, day on 4 September. While the full rules that were used is unknown, the match was played with a round ball, the distance between the goals was approximately half a mile and there were 40 players per side and one goal each side was scored with the game being declared a draw. The two schools have competed annually ever since for the Cordner-Eggleston Cup.

Tom Wills

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:03:23 +0000

by Chris Wills Tom Wills recommended the formation of the Geelong Football Club in July 1859 making it the second oldest club of any code in the world, the Melbourne Football Club credited as the oldest, formed earlier the same year. Wills was also involved in the formation of that club.

Tom Wills Round

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:03:19 +0000

by Chris Wills The Melbourne Football Club rules of 1859 are the oldest surviving set of laws for Australian football. The ten simple rules were drawn up on 17 May in a meeting was chaired by Wills and in attendance were journalists W. J. Hammersley and J. B. Thompson. The meeting was held at the Parade Hotel, East Melbourne hosted by owner and Melbourne Cricket Club member Jerry Bryant. The publican was a friend of Tom Wills with a personal interest in introducing football to Melbourne's schools. Bryant had played a role in organising early football matches at the nearby Richmond Park and his son was one of the first players. The rules were signed by Tom Wills, William Hammersley, J. Sewell, J. B. Thompson, Alex Bruce, T. Butterworth and Thomas H. Smith. Importantly, the rules were widely publicised and distributed.

Tom Wills by Greg De Moore

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:03:18 +0000

by Chris Wills The most comprehensive book ever written on the life and times of Tom Wills.

Tom Wills Round

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:03:17 +0000

by Chris Wills Played to commerate Tom Wills as the founder of the game back in 1858.

MCG Monument For The First Recorded Game

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:03:16 +0000

by Chris Wills In 1858 Scotch and Melbourne Grammer played the first recorded game of what would later become Australian Rules Football. Tom Wills helped umpire the game, seen here following the players. The game was played in Yarra Park in the area between the MCG and the Hilton Hotel.