However, the club has been slapped with a $5000 suspended fine and the father of the under-15 player involved has been banned from all Ballarat Football League matches for the rest of the year.

The AFL Goldfields Independent Tribunal acquitted Tigers’ president Anthony Simpson and under-15 coach Bryan Wethling on Tuesday night.

However, the teenager’s father was found guilty of breaching an AFL Victoria rule that states any person who appears before a tribunal must “act in a courteous and polite manner during the hearing and after a decision has been made”.

It was alleged the trio had acted in an abusive and threatening manner following a junior tribunal hearing two weeks prior, where a Springbank permit junior was suspended for two matches.

They were all facing the same charge and the tribunal was delayed one week as all evidence was gathered.

Although the original hearing was in relation to an incident that occurred in a Central Highlands Football League junior match in July, the ban only covers the BFL games as the junior involved is actually registered with Bacchus Marsh.

He was on permit while playing for the Tigers.

The father is able to attend CHFL games, but his son is ineligible for the Tigers finals series regardless. However, the junior can play for Bacchus Marsh this weekend.

Springbank president Anthony Simpson said he felt the right decision was made and was happy to turn his attention towards finals.

“The football club has always had the utmost respect for the tribunal and its decisions, that has never changed,” he said.

“Our focus is now on football and netball finals over the next two weeks.”

The suspended sentence will remain in place until the end of 2016.

It was the second time Simpson has been cleared over off-field incidents this year. He was previously cleared after an investigation into an incident involving umpires after the a match against Bungaree in May.