@petereedy.bsky.social
Ars longa vita brevis
Stephen Alonzo ('Sam') Spragg died from appendicitis in February 1904
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ar...
30,000 spectators watched Australia defeat Great Britain 13-3 in the rugby First Test, played at the SCG in June 1899
Match report and photos:
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ar...
Hi @gedboy58.bsky.social - welcome home to Glasgow!
Out of curiosity - how did QPFC practice at night back then (especially given the short days of the Scottish winter) - do you know what sort of lighting they employed?
@gedboy58.bsky.social - Sean Fagan discusses early football in Melbourne
saintsandheathens.com/2013/03/21/m...
Here is a collection of Sean Fagan's excellent articles - his focus is rugby union, but he also touches on other codes
saintsandheathens.com/author/jotti...
As an aside - a slightly related story by prominent Australian rugby football historian, Sean Fagan
saintsandheathens.com/2013/03/03/a...
The first train from Ipswich to Brisbane, crossing the bridge across the river, opened in 1876.
Previously, transport between Brisbane and Ipswich was via a lengthy boat trip
I note from the 1875 article that the Brisbane FC travelled to Woogaroo by rail - this rail line had opened only two months before! (although they had to cross the river by ferry)
The advent of rail transport expedited the growth of football competitions in the Brisbane-Ipswich region in the 1880s
Comparing the 1863 London FA laws with 1866 Victorian rules shows more similarities than differences
So much for the notion that the Melbourne rules were developed from scratch ("a game of our own!")
Reminds me of Sean Fagan's assertion that first Melbourne game in 1858 was probably actually rugby
1863 London FA laws:
9. No player shall carry the ball.
1866 Victorian rules:
8. The ball may be taken in hand at any time, but not carried further than is necessary for a kick; and no player shall run with the ball unless he strikes it against the ground in every five or six yards.
Woogaroo vs Brisbane FC - August 1875
"One rule provided that the ball should not be handled nor carried, and this condition gave a great advantage to the "bedlam" folks, as the active little Brisbane fellows thereby lost half the benefit of their "lissomeness"
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ar...
The 1866 Victorian rules are included in this article
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ar...
2 June 1866
"A MEETING of the members of the newly-formed [Brisbane] Foot-ball Club was held at the Metropolitan Hotel on Thursday evening"
It was resolved to adopt "the laws of football passed at a meeting of delegates of clubs held in Melbourne on the 8th ult."
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ar...
I have reservations about 'The Footballer' magazine's assertion that many of these 1875 games were played according to the rugby rules
Brisbane FC clearly adopted the 'Victorian rules' at its formation - I have not found any local reports that they diverged from this, until the 1876 season
"agreed to play rugby against two newly *formed* clubs
01.10.2025 01:42 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Dr John Jaap was indeed unwell - he died in early 1877 - not yet 40 years old
01.10.2025 01:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Hi Ian - as you know, the Brisbane FC formed in 1866 and resolved to play according to the Victorian rules
I have not found any reports of them diverging from this until early 1876, when they reluctantly agreed to play rugby against two newly former clubs (Bonnet Rouge and Rangers)
Woogaroo Asylum vs Brisbane FC - July 1873 [sic] - the football rules of the day were not identified, but probably 'Victorian rules'
I recall that @iansyson.bsky.social discovered that Woogaroo superintendent Dr Jaap was a Glaswegian?
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ar...
Woogaroo Asylum vs Brisbane FC - August 1875
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/ar...
For many years post-WW2 and European immigration to Australia, soccer was referred to by others as 'wogball'
Not entirely surprising, given that the ethnic clubs were so strong during the 1960s - in Brisbane we had Hellenic, Azzurri, Budapest, Hollandia, Dnipro, Germania, Croatia and Polonia ...
I wrote to QPFC many years ago, asking about McCreadie - extract from their reply:
"I’ve now checked all the playing records we have for former players and can’t find any trace of a D. McCreadie ... [and] records from games in those days occasionally only contain nicknames rather than full names."
The earliest known evidence indicates that the Brisbane-based 'Scottish Football Association' was formed in 1883 - apparently as a standalone club, rather than a formal association
Circumstantial evidence suggests that the SFA re-badged as Rangers FC, when it joined the AQFA in mid-1884
The members of the [Brisbane] Rangers FC, as shown in the early 1880s team photo - from a 1925 article by prominent local soccer official G. R. T. ('Dick') Tainton
11.09.2025 07:44 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
[Brisbane] Rangers FC, pictured here in the early 1880s (Don Gemmell, author of the 1937 letter, at the inset, top-right)
They wore white with red trim - their crest appears to feature a 'lion rampant' (but difficult to tell with certaintly)
As an aside, Don Gemmell asserted in his 1937 letter that "I believe I hold the only [1884 premiership] badge to survive the long years"
The badges appeared to be made of gold (see 1887 example attached) - this suggests that some will have survived - somewhere? (This specimen is in Canada)
Ged, you had better not come to Brisbane during our hot and humid summer then! 😉
However, our winter weather is divine - like a nice UK summer (but our winter lasts longer) 😁
"The [Melbourne rules] ball could not be thrown" - players circumvented this rule by punching the ball to each other (as they still do)
Melbourne does not have a relatively hot climate - but the weather can be erratic - the saying goes that Melbourne can have all four seasons in one day!
There are conflicting accounts re the preparation of the Melbourne rules in 1859 - according to some, Wills wanted to adopt rugby rules, but his colleagues demurred - too complex and grounds too hard
Two of his colleagues attended Cambridge University in the 1840s - another Trinity College, Dublin
Victorian rules football match on Richmond Paddock, 1866 - clearly not yet 'combination' football!
MCG pavilion in the distance
digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/images/winte...
@gedboy58.bsky.social - Iain Campbell Whittle changing your opinion about Sheffield football - more information please?
15.08.2025 12:40 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
