A country footy club in regional Victoria has apologised for allowing a convicted child sex offender to return to club, acknowledging the decision was “not consistent with what our wider community expects”.
On Wednesday afternoon, Tyrendarra Football Netball Club – based about 70 kilometres west of Warrnambool – released a statement confirming a footballer, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, was no longer part of the club and would not be returning.
“We recognise the harm done to the victim at the centre of this case, and to all victims and survivors of sexual violence. To anyone in our community affected by this episode and its coverage, we are sorry for the distress it has caused,” the club said.
“We also acknowledge those who have spoken about how this was handled, and the trust we have lost with them.
“Nothing matters more to this club than the safety and wellbeing of our players and members, especially children, women and girls.”
Earlier this week, ABC’s regional investigations team named James Williams in their reporting that he had pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and was handed a 14-month jail sentence in April 2024.
According to the ABC, Williams was 20 years old when, during Tyrendarra’s end-of-year footy trip, he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl who was attending a concert in Adelaide’s CBD with her mother.
A post from the Tyrendarra Football Netball Club Instagram page on October 2025 shows the club welcomed Williams back, re-signing him as “a classy midfielder and forward flanker”.
In their statement, Tyrendarra said the player’s return “followed a careful process, with external expert advice and wide consultation across the club, including the parents of our younger teams”.
“We accept we did not give enough weight to what our community rightly expects of a club built around children, and those we let down deserve a straightforward apology.
“This has prompted a hard look at how we govern the club and approach similar decisions in the future.
Tyrendarra said they were committed to a “stronger child-safety oversight”, “a binding code of conduct that every player, coach, official and volunteer must sign” and “ongoing education on respectful relationships and the prevention of gendered violence, for players and officials across both codes”.
The club said they would also conduct a “governance and risk review of how decisions like this are made” including a standing committee responsible for child safety, conduct and reputation.
“That review will also examine how this decision was made and our accountability for it,” they said.
This masthead reached out to the Tyrendarra Football Netball Club for comment, and was directed to their statement. AFL Victoria has also been contacted for comment.
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Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.