2 days ago
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A country football club has been criticised for celebrating a 'most disciplined' award just months after admitting it was wrong to welcome back a convicted sex offender.
Tyrendarra Football Netball Club announced on Facebook that it had been named the 2026 Most Disciplined Club-Football.
The south-west Victorian organisation described the honour as a recognition of the standards shown by those representing its football teams.
'This recognition means a lot,' the club posted.
'We know being a strong club isn't about being perfect, it's about continuing to learn, holding ourselves accountable and choosing the standards we want to represent.
'A credit to everyone who pulls on the green and gold and represents the Darras each week.
Tyrendarra was forced to sack James Williams after backlash over its decision to welcome the convicted sex offender back
Three months later, Tyrendarra celebrated being named the 2026 Most Disciplined Club-Football in a post shared with supporters
Williams had served jail time for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl during a Tyrendarra end-of-season trip to Adelaide
'Proud of where we've come from. Proud of the work being done and committed to continuing to be better.'
The post did not identify the organisation behind the award or explain the criteria used to determine the winner.
The honour appears to relate to football discipline rather than the club's management or off-field decision-making.
However, its announcement drew criticism because Tyrendarra had previously welcomed James Nicholas Williams back after he served a prison sentence for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Williams was 20 when the offence took place during an end-of-season Tyrendarra trip to Adelaide in September 2022.
He met the girl at Hindley Street Music Hall before placing his hand under her skirt.
The South Australian District Court heard the teenager told him, 'No, stop,' but Williams continued and returned his hand beneath her skirt after the girl's mother intervened.
Security staff removed him from the venue.
Tyrendarra later admitted the decision was wrong, apologised to those affected and declared Williams would never return there
Williams later sent a message to a friend in which he laughed about touching the girl.
He pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under 17, charged as an alternative to rape.
Judge Michelle Sutcliffe described his conduct as 'forceful and persistent' and said he had bragged about the offence 'as though it was a conquest'.
Williams was sentenced in April 2024 to 14 months in prison with a six-month non-parole period.
Despite the conviction, Tyrendarra announced his return in October 2025 through a social media post describing him as a 'classy midfielder/forward flanker' and 'the kind of player who lifts the team when it matters most'.
The decision came under national scrutiny after former female players revealed they had walked away from the club over its handling of the matter.
Sponsors also withdrew their support.
Tyrendarra initially defended its actions, saying it had undertaken consultation, sought advice, completed risk assessments and complied with relevant court and bail conditions.
Tyrendarra says it completed consultations and risk assessments before allowing James Williams back (the club's home ground is pictured)
The club reversed its decision in June following media coverage and confirmed Williams had been permanently banned.
'We are sorry,' its committee said at the time.
'That player is no longer part of the Club and will not return.'
The committee acknowledged it had failed to give enough weight to community expectations of a sporting organisation 'built around children'.
It also promised to introduce a binding code of conduct covering players, coaches, officials and volunteers.
Solicitor Andrew Carpenter raised the controversy again after Tyrendarra announced its discipline award.
'The Tyrendarra Football Club was named as the 2026 'most disciplined football club' despite welcoming a convicted child sex offender to return to the club,' he posted on Instagram.
'Is this what discipline means?'
Solicitor Andrew Carpenter highlighted the controversy on Instagram and questioned whether the honour reflected what discipline should mean
Carpenter referred to the positive language previously used about Williams before adding: 'Some standards are worth setting. Others should never be forgotten.'
One Instagram user called for the club to be deregistered and questioned the leadership shown by football authorities.
Another argued that the problem extended beyond end-of-season functions.
'The solution isn't a ban on an end-of-year event, it is instilling better leadership,' the commenter wrote.
Other reactions beneath Tyrendarra's own Facebook announcement were supportive.
One person described the award as 'well deserved under huge adversity this year', while another praised the club's 'amazing leadership'.
A third called it 'a fantastic credit to our committee, players, supporters and community'.
