Mark Melville Williams (born 21 August 1958) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

player and coach. As a player, Williams represented West Adelaide and in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

(SANFL), as well as Collingwood and

Brisbane Bears The Brisbane Bears were a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, now known as the Brisbane Lions. Granted a Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL), licence in 1986, ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL), from the 1970s to the 1990s. One of several successful father-son combinations in Australian rules football, Williams became a successful coach after finishing his playing career, leading to their first AFL premiership in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Playing career

South Australian National Football League (SANFL)

West Adelaide

The son of South Australian football legend Fos Williams, Williams playing career began with in the

(SANFL), where his father was serving as coach. He represented West Adelaide on 64 occasions for 37 goals.

Port Adelaide (SANFL)

Williams then moved to the

Port Adelaide Football Club Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where it is nicknamed the ...

in the

(SANFL), becoming one of the stars of the league, where he was part of the 1979 and 1980 Premiership sides.

Victorian Football League (VFL) / Australian Football League (AFL)

Collingwood Football Club (1981–1986)

After the 1980 season, Williams was recruited by , making his

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL) debut in the 1981 season. Williams justified the hype over his recruitment by winning state selection for Victoria as well as the Copeland Trophy. He was named at centre for Collingwood in the 1981 Grand Final against Carlton. Collingwood lost, but Williams was recognised as being among the Magpies' better players on the day. When John Cahill took over as senior coach of Collingwood Football Club after a tumultuous season in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, he appointed Williams as captain, having previously worked with him at . In

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, Williams led Collingwood's goalkicking, kicking 53 goals for the season. However, he was unavailable for the Preliminary Final due to injury, and Collingwood went down to eventual premiers by 133 points. Williams remained captain of Collingwood until he left at the end of 1986 after a contract dispute.

Brisbane Bears (1987–1990)

Williams joined the

, a new club who joined the

(VFL) league in 1987. He was appointed vice-captain to Mark Mickan at the new club. Williams played three and a half seasons from 1987 until 1990 to a total of 66 games for the Bears, before retiring from the Bears midway through the

1990 AFL season The 1990 AFL season was the 94th season of the Australian Football League (AFL) and the first under this name, having been known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. It was the highest level senior Australian rules football competition ...

Return to the SANFL

Williams returned to

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

, and finished the 1990 season there, before playing a further two seasons. In his two stints at Port Adelaide, Williams played 115 games, kicking 104 goals, and won four premierships. He retired from playing at the end of 1992, with a total of 380 league games to his name. Williams was also part of the 1990 and 1992 Premiership sides.

Coaching career

Glenelg Football Club (1993–1994)

Williams coached SANFL club Glenelg in 1993 and 1994.

Essendon Football Club (1995–1996)

Williams joined AFL club Essendon as an assistant coach under senior coach Kevin Sheedy for the 1995 season and 1996 season.

Port Adelaide Football Club (1997–2010)

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, Williams joined

as an assistant coach in its inaugural season in the AFL, and in 1999, won the head coaching role as senior coach of Port Adelaide, replacing John Cahill. Port Adelaide, under Williams in his first year as senior coach in the 1999 season, finished seventh on the ladder and making the finals, but were eliminated by the eventual premiers

Kangaroos Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey ...

. In the 2000 season, Port Adelaide's on-field performance under Williams dropped en route to a fourteenth-place finish on the ladder with seven wins and fourteen losses. In the 2001 season, Williams guided Port to finish third on the ladder but were eliminated by Hawthorn in the semi-final. After this, Port Adelaide then won the minor premiership three seasons in a row under Williams' reign, firstly in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, Port under Williams were eliminated by the eventual premiers

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...

in the preliminary final, secondly in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Port under Williams lost to eventual runners-up Collingwood in the preliminary final, and lastly in

, after failing to reach the Grand Final in either 2002 or 2003, the club under Williams went on to win its first

AFL premiership This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL premiers. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1989, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football. The inaugur ...

in the 2004 AFL Grand Final against the

by 40 points. In

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, Port Adelaide finished eighth with eleven wins, one draw and ten losses and therefore just made the finals. Port eliminated

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government ar ...

in the first elimination final in 2005, but were eliminated by

Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia that was founded in 1990. The Crows have fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since 199 ...

in the 2005 semi final by 80 points. In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Port missed the finals, when their on-field performance dropped, to finish twelfth with eight wins and fourteen losses. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Williams once again coached Port Adelaide to the

grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...

, but suffered the worst ever grand final defeat, losing to

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

by 119 points. In the 2008 season, Port Adelaide missed the finals, finishing thirteenth with seven wins and fifteen losses. Throughout

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, Port Adelaide's inconsistent on-field performances continued to focus on Williams' future at the club. Late in the season, following the appointment of Mark Haysman as CEO, and after much conjecture in the media, Williams was offered a new 2-year contract. At the end of the 2009 season, Port Adelaide missed the finals for the second consecutive year, finishing tenth with nine wins and thirteen losses. In the 2010 season, Port Adelaide were thirteenth after Round 14, with five wins and nine losses. As a result, Williams resigned as senior coach of Port Adelaide On 9 July 2010 and coached his final game, against Collingwood at

AAMI Stadium Football Park, known commercially as AAMI Stadium, was an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, Australia. It was built in 1973 by the South Australian Na ...

in Round 15, 2010, losing to Collingwood by 26 points. Williams was replaced by assistant coach Matthew Primus as caretaker senior coach for the rest of the 2010 season, who was eventually employed as full-time senior coach.

Greater Western Sydney Giants (2011–2012)

In November 2010, Williams signed with the

Greater Western Sydney Giants The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS or Giants) are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney Olympic Park which repres ...

as the senior assistant coach under senior coach Kevin Sheedy. In September 2012, Williams informed the club after the last home and away game of the season that he would not be honoring the final season of his contract in 2013.

Richmond Football Club (2013–2016)

After the completion of the

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

home and away season, Williams signed with the

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers or colloquially the Tiges, is a professional Australian rules football team competing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Founded in 1885 in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond, Victoria, Ric ...

in an assistant coaching role as a development coach working with senior coach Damien Hardwick. In November 2014, Williams was diagnosed with

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

. Williams left the Richmond Football Club at the end of the 2016 season, after he was told that his contract would not be renewed due to a clean-out at the club.

AJAX Football Club (2017–2018)

In 2016, Williams joined

Victorian Amateur Football Association The Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) is the largest senior community Australian rules football competition in Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded in 1892, it consists of six senior divisions, ranging from Premier to Division 3 i ...

(VAFA) club

AJAX Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

to serve as its senior men's coach, starting in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. He served as coach for a total of two seasons, departing at the end of

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

after the club finished second-last in Premier B and was consequently

relegated Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...

to Premier C.

Werribee Football Club (2019–2020)

In September 2018, Williams was announced as new senior coach of

club Werribee on a three-year deal. In his first season at the helm, Williams led Werribee to the VFL finals for the first time since 2015 and its first time as a standalone club in 20 years.

Melbourne Football Club (2020–present)

In early December 2020, Williams was appointed the new head of development at

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

in an assistant coaching role, replacing the former head of development Matthew Egan and working with senior coach Simon Goodwin. Williams also played a key off-field role in the club's 2021 premiership victory by being part of the club's coaching panel.

Footballing dynasty

Williams comes from a large and intensely proud footballing dynasty, closely aligned with Port Adelaide. His father, the late Fos Williams, is often referred to as the father of the Port Adelaide Football Club. His twin brother Anthony (died 1988) played at SANFL level, while younger brother

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

played at both SANFL and AFL level and coached Port Adelaide to three SANFL premierships. His sister, Jenny, briefly served as a psychologist with the club. Mark is married to Pauline and they have three sons, PhD Candidate Isaac, Marcus, Louis and two daughters.

Statistics

Playing statistics

: , - , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 25 , , 21 , , 18 , , 388 , , 129 , , 517 , , 62 , , , , 0.8 , , 0.7 , , 15.5 , , 5.2 , , 20.7 , , 2.5 , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", Collingwood , 21 , , 22 , , 22 , , 14 , , 340 , , 130 , , 470 , , 91 , , , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 15.5 , , 5.9 , , 21.4 , , 4.1 , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 22 , , 42 , , 22 , , 353 , , 115 , , 468 , , 98 , , , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , 16.0 , , 5.2 , , 21.3 , , 4.5 , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 23 , , 53 , , 31 , , 257 , , 113 , , 370 , , 77 , , , , 2.3 , , 1.3 , , 11.2 , , 4.9 , , 16.1 , , 3.3 , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 22 , , 16 , , 13 , , 341 , , 134 , , 475 , , 83 , , , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 15.5 , , 6.1 , , 21.6 , , 3.8 , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 21 , , 24 , , 20 , , 269 , , 139 , , 408 , , 95 , , , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 12.8 , , 6.6 , , 19.4 , , 4.5 , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 2 , , 19 , , 27 , , 16 , , 263 , , 133 , , 396 , , 72 , , 46 , , 1.4 , , 0.8 , , 13.8 , , 7.0 , , 20.8 , , 3.8 , , 2.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1988 , style="text-align:center;", , 2 , , 14 , , 5 , , 16 , , 218 , , 90 , , 308 , , 50 , , 30 , , 0.4 , , 1.1 , , 15.6 , , 6.4 , , 22.0 , , 3.6 , , 2.1 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 2 , , 22 , , 19 , , 18 , , 310 , , 151 , , 461 , , 84 , , 56 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 14.1 , , 6.9 , , 21.0 , , 3.8 , , 2.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 2 , , 11 , , 7 , , 11 , , 135 , , 72 , , 207 , , 26 , , 26 , , 0.6 , , 1.0 , , 12.3 , , 6.5 , , 18.8 , , 2.4 , , 2.4 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 201 ! 236 ! 179 ! 2874 ! 1206 ! 4080 ! 738 ! 158 ! 1.2 ! 0.9 ! 14.3 ! 6.0 ! 20.3 ! 3.7 ! 2.4

Coaching statistics

:Mark Williams' coaching profile at AFL Tables
/ref> , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 12 , , 11 , , 0 , , 52.2% , , 7 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 7 , , 14 , , 1 , , 34.1% , , 14 , , 16 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 23 , , 15 , , 8 , , 0 , , 66.7% , , 3 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 25 , , 19 , , 6 , , 0 , , 76.0% , , 1 , , 16 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 25 , , 19 , , 6 , , 0 , , 76.0% , , 1 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 25 , , 20 , , 5 , , 0 , , 80.0% , , 1 , , 16 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 12 , , 11 , , 1 , , 52.1% , , 8 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 8 , , 14 , , 0 , , 36.4% , , 12 , , 16 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 25 , , 17 , , 8 , , 0 , , 68.0% , , 2 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 7 , , 15 , , 0 , , 31.8% , , 13 , , 16 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 9 , , 13 , , 0 , , 40.9% , , 10 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 15 , , 5 , , 10 , , 0 , , 33.3% , , 10 , , 16 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career totals ! 273 ! 150 ! 121 ! 2 ! 55.3% ! colspan="2",

References

External links

*
Official Website of the Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club

Official Website of the Port Adelaide Football Club

The Power From Port – Unofficial Port Adelaide Power and Magpies Football Clubs Website

Profile at Australian Football
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Mark Port Adelaide Football Club coaches Port Adelaide Football Club premiership coaches Brisbane Bears players Port Adelaide Football Club (SANFL) players Port Adelaide Football Club players (all competitions) West Adelaide Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Adelaide Collingwood Football Club players Copeland Trophy winners South Australian State of Origin players All-Australians (1953–1988) All-Australian coaches Glenelg Football Club coaches South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees 1958 births Living people People educated at Immanuel College, Adelaide

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

VFL/AFL premiership coaches Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees