Phillip Rainbird stood down on Thursday after The Examiner began making inquiries with club officials who were apparently unaware of his past.

The former horse trainer started coaching the New Norfolk Junior Football Club under 14s earlier this year as a volunteer. 

The club confirmed that Mr Rainbird, who was sentenced to  4 years’ jail for raping a 16-year-old girl in 2009, was regularly coaching the teenagers. 

They and AFL Tasmania say they are confident there was no inappropriate conduct between Mr Rainbird, who is aged in his 50s, and the players

The Examiner also does not suggest any untoward behaviour on behalf of Mr Rainbird.

However, his contact with the youths raises questions about Tasmania’s recently implemented Working with Children Registration scheme.

Club officials were adamant that Mr Rainbird had at least begun the registration process necessary to work with children. 

However, the Justice Department said that not only was Mr Rainbird not registered to work with children, he had never  completed an application. 

It is understood that Mr Rainbird may have shown club officials documentation indicating that he had begun an online registration process.

In any event, according to department guidelines, anyone volunteering with a sporting club “on or after April 1 must have a Working with Children Registration before they start work”.

When contacted on Thursday, club president Chris Lovell first said the allegation about Mr Rainbird was rumour and the club had done everything required under law. Later that day he confirmed that Mr Rainbird had voluntarily stood down following a discussion with club officials.

“We’ve acted appropriately once we’ve gotten the information,” he said. 

Mr Rainbird maintained his innocence on the rape charge when contacted by The Examiner but confirmed that he had stood down from the coaching role.

AFL Tasmania’s football council general manager, Barry Gibson, said the Working with Children Registration legislation was relatively new and the club had acted diligently. 

Asked if that extended to the club letting Mr Rainbird coach despite not being registered under the scheme, he said standing down every coach until they were registered wasn’t practicable.

Mr Gibson said there was about a nine-week turnaround to get registered. 

“Once the club became aware of the situation today [Thursday], the club move fairly quickly and the person stood down,” he said. 

The Justice spokeswoman said the information uncovered by The Examiner would be passed on to the scheme’s registrar to consider whether any action against the club or Mr Rainbird would be taken.