Tyrendarra Football Netball Club Bans Convicted Player and Issues Apology

The Tyrendarra Football Netball Club has moved to ban convicted sex offender James Williams, admitting it was wrong to welcome him back after his release from jail and conceding it failed the community it is supposed to protect.

The south-west Victorian club has been under intense pressure since an ABC investigation revealed Williams had been allowed to return to the club last year, despite serving a jail term for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl on a post-season football trip.

On Wednesday, the committee released a blunt statement. Williams was not named, but the target of the message was unmistakable.

"We are sorry," the statement read.

The ABC understands Williams was removed from the club in the wake of the media coverage, a move that came only after sponsors walked and outrage grew across the region.

The committee conceded it had badly misjudged the expectations of a community where junior players and families sit at the heart of the club’s identity.

"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," the statement said.

There was more: "We also acknowledge those who have spoken about how this was handled, and the trust we have lost with them."

The apology was posted on social media on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of a face-to-face meeting with some members. An earlier gathering, planned for Tuesday, was abandoned after the venue details were shared online and tensions threatened to spill over.

Victim and community recognised

In its statement, Tyrendarra directly acknowledged the teenager at the centre of the case — a then 15-year-old girl sexually assaulted by Williams at a concert in Adelaide in 2022.

The club said it recognised the harm done to her and extended its apology beyond the boundary line.

"To anyone in our community affected by this episode and its coverage, we are sorry for the distress it has caused," the committee said.

The fallout has already bitten hard. Sponsors have walked away, including south-west Victorian MP Roma Britnell, who withdrew her support as anger over the club’s handling of the situation grew.

Tyrendarra has maintained it followed a "careful process" before allowing Williams to return, saying it had sought expert advice and consulted widely within the club. During the ABC’s investigation, reporters asked for details of that process and what safeguards were in place. The club did not respond at the time.

Now, under the glare of public scrutiny, the committee has promised structural change.

It has committed to introducing a binding code of conduct for players, coaches, officials and volunteers, with clear, enforceable grounds for removal over behaviour both on and off the field.

"We do not expect these commitments to be taken on trust alone. We intend to be judged on what we do from here," the statement concluded.

The message is clear: the club’s next decisions, not its words, will decide whether Tyrendarra can rebuild the trust it chose to risk.