THE relationship between Mark Williams and Ballan has come to an end.
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The Blues have confirmed they intend to look in a new direction for a senior coach ahead of the 2016 Central Highlands Football League season.
It is understood there has been a breakdown in negotiations between Williams and the club, which was unable to reach a contractual agreement with the playing coach.
This follows an announcement in July that he would be continuing in the role for the next two years.
Ballan president Stig Nielsen said it was a sad end to the club’s association with the former Hawthorn and Essendon player.
“It was too hard to get an agreement so we (the committee) just agreed that we were going to go another direction,” Nielsen said.
“I would have liked to have finished on a happier note, but that was not to be."
Nielsen said it had been a good four-year period with Williams, who took the senior side to a breakthrough finals appearance in 2015 before a preliminary final defeat at the hands of Gordon.
He said the club would now turn its attention to filling the vacant role, with a replacement expected to be confirmed sometime in the next month.
Williams arrived at Ballan as a boom pre-season signing in 2012 before taking on the senior job following the departure of Darron Batties late in the 2013 campaign.
He took the Blues to ninth in his first full season at the helm before a whirlwind 2015 saw the Blues climb to eighth and their first finals series since 2003.
The 32-year-old, a Hawks premiership winner, played a total of 64 games for the club and booted 129 goals.
Williams’ exit follows confirmation that league best and fairest Shaun Campbell will not be at the club next year after taking a coaching job at Wagga Tigers.
