This information is based on the historical account of Wallsend Football Club collected by Allan James Russell and John Grahame Kemp. The club is endlessly grateful for the effort put into managing this information, keeping the history of club alive.
THE GREAT YEARS [1920-1968]
The great years were the years that really put the Wallsend Football Club on the centre stage in Australia. These years saw a number of great players come through the Wallsend Football Club system and also saw the construction of Crystal Palace, which was one of the premier venues in Australia and hosted many State, National and International matches.
The swamp area known as Johnson’s Paddock was leased from Newcastle-Wallsend Coal Company and filled to convert it into a soccer ground which was officially opened and named Crystal Palace in 1921.
1923 saw the first of many W.F.C. players being selected to play for Australia when Ernie Owens was chosen as fullback in the third test against New Zealand at Newcastle Showground before a crowd of 14,000. Ernie Owens continued to play for Australia in games up until 1927. In 1927, Jack O’Brien Snr was another Wallsend player to have played at the Australian level.
A mines subsidence fall at the lower end of Crystal Palace after heavy rainfall and floods in April 1927 made the ground unable to be used for the remainder of the season with home games played at Wallsend and Federal Parks.
In 1928 there was a split in the code into a State League comprising of eleven teams from Newcastle, Sydney, the Coalfields and the South Coast, and the Loyalists (N.S.W.S.A.), which was a six-team Newcastle competition. Wallsend had teams in both competitions and was the only Newcastle team to enter the State League, becoming a founding member of the newly-formed break-away competition.
On 14th April 1928 at Crystal Palace, Wallsend’s 15-year-old centre forward, Artie Walker, had the distinction of scoring the first goal in the State League. The goal was scored after just twenty eight seconds and was the fastest goal scored in a game in the North. This record was not beaten until 16th June 1997, when former Wallsend Junior player Andrew Tonks scored for Newcastle Macedonia after twenty three seconds.
The first club house was erected at the Southern end of the ground in 1928, consisting of two rooms both measuring thirteen by twelve-feet, with a sliding wall separating both. Three showers were also installed. Fencing was erected the following year with a coal company supplying four hundred cart loads of ash to elevate the sides of the playing pitch. Paying of players of W.F.C. also occurred in this year at an amount of one pound per match.
In 1930, the first deposit of eighty pounds was paid for the purchase of the ground. A grandstand was erected on the Western side of the ground in 1932, with Osland’s Timber Yard supplying the timber with the club being loaned the money. All work was carried out by the players and supporters. A fee was charged to enter the stand with the proceeds used to pay off the cost of the grandstand.
During the construction period, Wallsend continued to deliver great players and many believe that the best team that Wallsend had ever put on the park was in 1933. During this year, one Australian side fielded five Wallsend players being; C Edgetton, Winky Forrester, J Osborne, Jock Parkes, and Alf Quill. The game was played against New Zealand and the game was drawn with C Edgetton captaining the side and Alf Quill scoring the two goals for the Australian side.
In 1935, the final payment was made to the Newcastle-Wallsend Coal Company and the ground now belonged to W.F.C. It is believed that W.F.C. was one of the first clubs to own its own ground.
During a State Association meeting on the 2nd May, 1943, W.F.C. was to be punished for playing Merewether on Easter Saturday in a friendly to raise monies for the Patriotic funds against the association’s wishes. In response, the four leading clubs Adamstown, Leichhardt, Merewether and Wallsend resigned from the State Association to form NSW Soccer Football Association Ltd.
The breakaway league comprised of four teams from Newcastle and four teams from Sydney. Merewether declined the invitation to join the new league and were replaced by Lake Macquarie.
Life Member of the W.F.C. Bob Frame made his first grade debut in 1944, and went on to not only play but coach and join the administration of the club. 2011 would’ve seen Bobs’ 67th year with W.F.C., but unfortunately he passed away in 2010 – a life that touched many in NSW footballing circles.
On 25th June 1945, representatives of the Northern and Southern Divisions competed against each other at Crystal Palace. The crowd which travelled from Newcastle to see the North’s 4-3 victory over the South at Crystal Palace was so large that it almost prevented the match from being played. Some cars had been sent to Broadmeadow station to collect the South’s players but they arrived late and the team attempted to catch a tram to the ground. Due to the late arrival of the players the kick-off was delayed and the match finished in darkness. None of the crowd left early as it was one of the best games of Football ever seen in the North.
Wallsend Junior Soccer Club was formed in 1947 and has provided many players to the senior club over the years. Floodlights were added in 1952, the second, major clubhouse was built in 1956.
In 1956, the Melbourne Olympic Games saw two representatives from Wallsend, George Arthur and Bruce Morrow play for Australia, a game in which they defeated Japan 2-0 at Olympic Park. George was the best player on the field. Both played in the second game where Australia was defeated by India 4-2. Bruce scored two goals and both players were amongst Australia’s best players on the ground.
In 1958, the State League split into two separate competitions run by separate governing bodies, the Northern NSW competition and the NSW competition. In 1959, a night series was introduced and was played at Crystal Palace. It was known as the Ampol Cup. Wallsend won the first series and was awarded 150 pounds. Bob Frame was voted the most outstanding player of the series. Former international player, George Arthur, retired at the end of 1959.
Despite losing Bob Frame early in 1961 after 350 first grade games for the club, Wallsend managed to pick up Ron Giles who would go on to play for Australia, and finish on equal points with the minor premiers only to miss out on goal difference.
Bruce Morrow returned from Sydney in 1963 and guided the team as player/coach to a minor premiership and also won the Ampol Cup. In 1965, ex-England international Tom Garrett was appointed player/coach and guided the club to minor and major premierships. 1966 was the first year in 20 years that Wallsend failed to make the semi-finals.
In 1968 Bob Frame was appointed coach and maintained this position for 8 years.