By Robyn Lewis and Mick Evans A HISTORY OF CASTLEMAINE SOCCER CLUB AND CASTLEMAINE GOLDFIELDS F.C. 1974 – 2014 By Robyn Lewis and Mick Evans ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: JIM SHEPHERD For access to his newspaper clippings, memories and memorabilia. THE EVANS FAMILY For their donation of memorabilia to the club and thanks to George for never throwing anything away. LINDA NEWTON For donation of material and memorabilia on the Women’s teams. RAY and LYN WEST For their contributions covering three decades. STEVE DELMENICO For his detailed records TIMON DOOLEY For his school project on the club history which we have incorporated into this document. CONTRIBUTIONS From Hockley and Richardson club members. Note: the authors have researched the information contained within through newspaper reports, BASL Yearbooks, club records, online records, honour boards, minute books and interviews to the best of their ability. These documents may not provide faultless information and there are gaps in the information available. Any errors or omissions are regretted and we would be pleased to receive any further information. Thankyou Robyn Lewis and Mick Evans DESIGN & ART: David Jeffries from pommegraphics.com.au 0414 262 488. 1 INTRODUCTION It is documented that on 22 September 1855 a game of football was played between miners and troops at the Commissioner’s Camp on the Castlemaine goldfields. As this game was played before codification it was likely that the game bore more similarity to English Association rather than Australian football or rugby union. This is supported by Football Historian Roy Hay in his book ‘A History of Football in Australia: A Game of Two Halves.’ Football had arrived in Central Victoria! There were a number of sporadic games of soccer in Castlemaine or involving Castlemaine as far back as the early 1900s But the World Game in Central Victoria really kicked off in the 1950s with the influx of European workers coming to help build the Cairn Curran Reservoir. They arrived in a region where another type of football held sway. Central Victoria has one of the strongest Australian Rules competitions with the Castlemaine Football Club tracing its origins back to 1859. It was in this atmosphere that a small group of passionate ‘soccer’ players began the first Castlemaine Soccer Club in 1952 with an attempt to form the Central Victorian Soccer Association in 1954. Despite the high level of interest from neighboring towns, this league faded and it was not until the early 1970s that the Central Victorian League idea was revisited. The Bendigo Soccer League was formed in 1971 and Castlemaine joined in 1974. Castlemaine has continued its strong participation in the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League for 40 years with numerous junior teams as well as senior men and women. Our World Game enables newcomers to actively participate in the local club and we have often welcomed overseas students, refugees and visitors into our teams. Currently the Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club has an annual participation rate of around 250 players, male and female covering the 5 to 50s age group – certainly a club for all lovers of round ball football. 2 SECTION 1 THE DECADES PRE 70s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s A HISTORY OF CASTLEMAINESOCCER CLUB AND CASTLEMAINE GOLDFIELDS F.C. 1974 – 2014 3 Pre 1970s The immigrants from the old country working at Thompson’s Foundry gave an Exhibition of ‘soccer football’ at the Castlemaine Camp Reserve as reported in the Bendigo Advertiser on 26 May 1913.The game is very slow compared with the Victorian game, and will not (says our correspondent) take on in Castlemaine. Another exhibition of soccer was played at the Camp Reserve in 1915 as a ‘novelty and an attraction‘, according to the notice on the front page of the Mount Alexander Mail. In the mid 1950s the building of Cairn Curran Reservoir brought with it a wave of European immigration to Central Victoria. During that time Castlemaine produced a fine Soccer team which was made up of mainly immigrants from Scotland, England, Italy, Germany and Poland with a couple of Australians. With no local league, games had to be organised with teams from other regional centres. In its first season playing teams from Bendigo, Ballarat and Maryborough, Castlemaine was undefeated. Reports in the Castlemaine Mail of the time gave an indication of the team’s popularity. Calling themselves ‘The Old Arsenal Club’ but known as Castlemaine Soccer Club, they drew crowds of up to 300 to watch the home games which were then played at Wattle Flat on Sundays. At a Council meeting in July 1954 an attempt to stop the club playing at that venue and on Sundays was narrowly defeated by four votes to three. Castlemaine players of note at that time were Jim Shepherd who had played for South Yarra and an Australian representative side, John Berry who played for Footscray and represented Victoria against New South Wales and Andy Berry who also played for Footscray. The 1950s was an exciting time for a new sport in Australia. The following excerpts from Castlemaine Mail news reports follow these heady years where a few passionate souls brought the World Game to Castlemaine. Although not everyone was in favour of them playing sport on Sunday – especially Councillors! 4 Pre 1970s Monday May 26 19i3 SOCCER FOOTBALL – Bendigo Advertiser The immigrants from the old country working at Thompson’s Foundry, being anxious to show the game they have been used to, namely, soccer football, gave an Exhibition on Saturday in the Castlemaine Camp Reserve before the Association match took place. The game is played with a round ball, about half the size of an ordinary football, and is football pure and simple, no handling of the ball being allowed. The moulding shop of Thompson’s Foundry played the rest of the employees and scored, a goal from a penalty kick, which was the only goal scored for the day. The game is very slow compared with the Victorian game, and will not (says our correspondent) take on in Castlemaine. Wednesday September 1 19i5 SOLDIERS v CASTLEMAINE. SOCCER EXHIBITION ALSO – Mount Alexander Mail Patrons of the Camp Reserve on Saturday next will get their money’s worth. A soccer (British Association) football match has been arranged of teams hailing from the North and South of England, of boys at the camp. This should prove both a novelty and an attraction. Mr Jim Buckley has kindly consented to take charge of the game, which will start at 2.30. Friday September 28 1934 EXHIBITION MATCH AT CASTLEMAINE – The Argus The premier teams of grade 1 (Caledonian) and grade 2 (South Melbourne) will play an exhibition soccer match at Castlemaine to-morrow. A team of Melbourne schoolboys will also travel and play against Castlemaine schoolboys. Saturday november 15 1952 Castlemaine Soccer Club which was formed at a meeting on Wednesday night, took its first important step by electing a committee to raise funds....They are Chairman (Mr. J Jenings), Messers G Jelly, V Semerank, J A Berry, A Berry, J Edwards, A McDermid, G Hocking, C Berry and secretary (Jim Berry). Saturday June 26 1954 Castlemaine is expected to play an important role in the formation of a Central Victorian Soccer Association, according to plans discussed this week. Teams showing an interest so far are Bendigo, Kyneton and Castlemaine. Maryborough and Ballarat are two other teams likely to be interested.... A club was formed in Castlemaine last year. Anyone interested in playing should contact Joe Taylor Hargraves Street or the Secretary of the Castlemaine Club (Mr Jim Berry) as soon as possible. Thursday July 1 1954 Castlemaine will play Bendigo in an inter town soccer match at Wattle Flat on Sunday afternoon. It will be the first inter town game to be played in Castlemaine and interest has mounted keenly during the week. Castlemaine will likely play in white shirts and Bendigo in blue. Saturday July 3 1954 Castlemaine’s first team for tomorrow is comprised mainly of Italians, Germans, Poles and Scots. An Australian will probably make up the eleven. The Australian is Graham Hocking who has had some experience of competitive play in Melbourne. He is likely to fill the outside right position. The other men have played in their home country and some have shown outstanding ability.... Castlemaine’s team for tomorrow will be chosen from J Taylor, A Gregor, J Semerack, Z Zych, G Hocking, A Berry, J A Berry, J Berry, C Berry, F Vitkus, L Butterfield, H Kolesdi, A McDermid, G Jelly, T Sulyok and Jim Shepherd. Tuesday July 6 1954 Castlemaine showed splendid soccer ability in holding Bendigo to a draw before a crowd of more than 300 at Wattle Flat on Sunday. Scores were Castlemaine 2 Bendigo 2. It was the first time that Castlemaine players have combined together against a visiting team.....Castlemaine centre forward C Berry scored two goals from close range. A donation of more than 10 pounds was taken at the game and the club officials yesterday thanked the spectators for turning out to watch the match. 5 They said that the club had just been formed and were in need of funds to purchase soccer equipment. In summing up, the class of football did not reach any great height but should improve with more match practice. Tuesday July 20 1954 Castlemaine’s superior positional play showed to advantage when it defeated Bendigo by three goals to one in a return soccer match at Bendigo on Saturday. Saturday July 24 1954 An attempt to prevent Castlemaine Soccer Club having use of Wattle Flat for Sunday soccer failed at Tuesday night’s meeting of Council.