Sport
28 August, 2025
Williamson re-signs to coach Ararat in 2026
Tom Williamson has signed on to coach his third season at Ararat in 2026, but this time, he will be taking the reins solo, with Tom Mills stepping back to focus on playing.
Williamson and Mills began their coaching journey together at the start of 2024, after the departure of Matt Walder, and since that time, have led Ararat to their second flag in two years, and now have an unbeaten season, and are red-hot favourites to win three in a row.
Ararat President David Hosking thanked Mills for his role and highlighted the importance of signing Williamson again.
“The Tom’s are both good, everyone knows that, and Mills has done a great job in his two years,” Hosking said.
“Williamson, in particular, having played at a high level, has incredible football knowledge and is very much big on detail.
“He has been pretty good right from the start, and he is getting better and better all of the time. His maturity has really shone.”
“As a coach, he has to think about players he is coaching, as well as focusing on his game, and he is becoming a better person and better footballer.”
Hosking highlighted the importance of getting the signing done now.
“We don’t want any distractions for the finals, and we have been talking to players about resigning and have had a lot of commitments, and people want to know who is going to be the coach,” Hosking said.
“Now that is known, it makes it easier to resign and attract players to the club.”
On finals, Hosking is excited about where the club is at, having all four football grades in, as well as the A-Grade, under-17 and under-15 netball.
“It’s very exciting to have the reserves and seniors in the position they are,” Hosking said.
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