Tyrendarra Club Bans Sex Offender and Issues Apology

The Tyrendarra Football Netball Club has banned convicted sex offender James Williams and publicly admitted it was wrong to welcome him back after his release from jail.

The south-west Victorian club has been under fierce scrutiny since an ABC investigation revealed Williams was allowed to return last year, despite being jailed for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl during a post-season football trip.

On Wednesday, the club’s committee released a blunt statement conceding it had failed its own community.

“We are sorry,” the statement read, without naming Williams but clearly referring to the decision to reinstate him.

“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.

“We also acknowledge those who have spoken about how this was handled, and the trust we have lost with them.”

Williams has now been removed from the club. The ABC understands his expulsion followed the intense media coverage of the case.

The apology was posted on social media ahead of a face-to-face meeting with some members on Wednesday afternoon. An earlier meeting, planned for Tuesday, was abandoned after the location was circulated online.

Club concedes harm to victim and community

In its statement, Tyrendarra acknowledged the impact on Williams’s victim — a then 15-year-old girl he sexually assaulted at a concert in Adelaide in 2022 — and the wider fallout across the region.

“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 club has already paid a price off the field. Sponsors have walked away, including south-west Victorian MP Roma Britnell, who withdrew her support in the wake of the revelations.

Process under question

Tyrendarra insists it went through what it called a “careful process” before allowing Williams to return, citing expert advice and broad consultation within the club.

The ABC had asked the club to detail what that process involved as part of its investigation. Those questions went unanswered.

That silence only fuelled anger among members, parents and locals who saw a community club — one that promotes itself around families and junior sport — readmitting a man jailed for sexually assaulting a child.

New code of conduct promised

Under pressure, the committee has now promised structural change.

It will introduce a binding code of conduct covering players, coaches, officials and volunteers, with “clear grounds for removal if breached, on or off the field.”

The club knows words alone will not repair the damage.

“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.

For Tyrendarra, the next whistle won’t just signal another game. It will test whether a small-town club can rebuild trust after forgetting who it is supposed to protect first.