A country football club has come under fire after welcoming back a player who was jailed for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl during an end-of-season trip with teammates.
James Nicholas Williams returned to play senior football for Tyrendarra Football Netball Club in south-west Victoria after serving a prison sentence for an offence committed during a club trip to Adelaide in September 2022.
The case has resurfaced following an investigation into the handling of the matter by the Victorian club and criticism from former female players who say they left because of Williams’ return.
Williams was sentenced in the South Australian District Court in April 2024 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under 17, charged as an alternative to rape.
Court documents show Williams travelled to Adelaide with teammates from Tyrendarra and attended a concert at Hindley Street Music Hall.
The court heard the 15-year-old victim was at the venue with her mother when Williams approached her and asked for her Snapchat details.
James Williams (pictured) was re-signed by his Victorian country footy club last October after serving a jail sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl during a team trip to Adelaide
Questions are being asked about why Tyrendarra Football Club welcomed Williams back – with the team even describing him as ‘classy’ when the news was announced online
Judge Michelle Sutcliffe said Williams kissed the girl before placing his hand underneath her skirt.
‘She said to you, “No, stop”. You responded saying, “No, it’s fine”,’ Judge Sutcliffe said during sentencing.
The victim’s mother intervened and pushed Williams’ hand away.
‘You immediately returned your hand back up the victim’s skirt and glared at the victim’s mother,’ Judge Sutcliffe said.
Security staff subsequently ejected Williams from the venue.
The court heard Williams subsequently sent a message to a friend stating he had been removed after he had ‘[touched] a bird ha ha ha’.
Judge Sutcliffe described the offending as ‘forceful and persistent’.
‘Teenage girls are entitled to feel safe, to be safe and have an enjoyable time; free from the worry of being sexually assaulted at these events,’ she said.
A court heard Williams (pictured) assaulted the victim at an Adelaide concert venue before security intervened, then laughed about the incident in a message to a friend
Tyrendarra says it completed consultations and risk assessments before allowing James Williams back (the club’s home ground is pictured)
‘You bragged about what you had done as though it was a conquest and conveyed that you thought it was funny that you had been ejected from the venue for that conduct.’
Williams was sentenced to one year and two months’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of six months.
The matter returned to public attention following an ABC investigation into Williams’ return to football and concerns raised by former female players.
Former Tyrendarra player Megan Latham told the ABC she left the club after becoming dissatisfied with how the matter was handled.
‘I think they’re saying there’s no consequences, or, “Sorry, we’re not responsible for giving out consequences based on what you did on our football trip,”‘ she said.
‘It was really disappointing and uncomfortable and frustrating too, that there didn’t seem to be any action taken about it.
‘[It felt like] being a footballer definitely trumps women’s concerns.’
Latham said she walked away from the club without consulting management.
Former female players say they left Tyrendarra after Williams (pictured) returned from prison
‘I didn’t want to go through the process of them justifying that behaviour or trying to convince me,’ she said.
‘Things like sexual assault are very stigmatised and I want to say around here, it can be really defended. And I didn’t feel like I could have that conversation or argument … particularly [with] people that I’d grown so close to.’
The club announced Williams’ re-signing in an Instagram post on October 28, 2025.
He was described as a ‘classy midfielder/forward flanker’ who is ‘the kind of player who lifts the team when it matters most’.
Tyrendarra Football Netball Club released a statement in relation to Williams’ reinstatement.
‘The Tyrendarra Football Netball Club acknowledges community concerns regarding historical matters that have been raised publicly,’ it read.
‘The club takes the safety and wellbeing of all players, members, volunteers and families seriously and remains committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive environment across all areas of the club.
‘It is important to note that these matters relate to historical events. Over a considerable period of time, the club has undertaken extensive consultation, sought advice from relevant bodies, completed risk assessment processes, complied with all known court and bail conditions, and taken a range of actions it believes are appropriate to meet its obligations and responsibilities.
‘As the matters raised involve historical events and complex circumstances, the club will not be making further public comment at this time.’
An AFL spokesperson told the ABC that decisions regarding participation in community football rested with the relevant club and league.
An AFL spokesperson said decisions regarding players such as Williams rest with individual clubs and leagues
‘The decision around whether a person can or cannot play community football sits with the club and league, in this case, the Tyrendarra Football Club and the South West District Football Netball League,’ the spokesperson said.
Award-winning journalist and anti-violence campaigner Sherele Moody has since drawn attention to the case on her Femicide Watch social media platform, urging followers to contact Tyrendarra Football Netball Club.
‘I need your help to get this child predator sacked!’ Moody wrote.
Moody referenced Williams’ conviction and return to football, writing: ‘Despite the conviction and the jail term and the predation on a child, he’s still playing football for Tyrendarra Football Netball Club.’
She also cited comments made by Latham and claimed multiple women had left the club following Williams’ return.
‘As a result of his relisting with the club, multiple women made the decision to leave,’ Moody wrote.
‘Meanwhile the club refuses to sack the player or even talk about it.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Tyrendarra Football Netball Club for comment.
