Lisa Dennis
Castlemaine’s Felix Matheson, 17, was thrilled to pull on the green and gold and represent Australia’s Under 18 Gridiron team in the international ‘Festival of Football’ in Auckland, New Zealand last weekend.
Felix and his Aussie teammates defeated their New Zealand counterparts 34-22 to bring home the ultimate prize!
The win caps off a whirlwind 10 months for the Castlemaine Secondary College student, who made his first foray into American football back in September 2025 when he began training with the Bendigo Dragons Gridiron Club.
Felix is a longtime soccer player with the Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club, where he was highly respected for his goal keeping abilities, but was looking for a new challenge to keep him fit during the summer months.
He could never have anticipated where the journey would take him, but the decision has potentially unlocked a future full of possibilities.
After a quick introduction to the game, Felix soon found himself lining up for the Dragons Men’s Div 2 side in the Gridiron Victoria competition tackling sides across the state from Ballarat and Geelong to metro Melbourne.
One fellow player commented, “He was thrown deep end at times last year going up against some of the league’s best defensive lineman whilst still learning about the sport in general! Not once did I ever hear him complain! He took it all on board, learned as the games went on and he had a lot of fun at the same time which is the most important part!”
Felix was delighted to play in the Vic Bowl Championship final in his first season.
Whilst the prize eluded the Dragons, Matheson’s inaugural season was reportedly nothing short of outstanding and saw the talented Offensive Lineman named the 2025 Bendigo Dragons ‘Rookie of the Year’, 2025 Gridiron Victoria Div 2 League ‘Rookie of the Year’, and saw him receive an invitation to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Naples, Florida, USA in January 2026.
Felix and his family subsequently made the journey to the US where he really took a deep dive into the American sport.
Felix’s coaches said competing and testing in an international environment takes courage and commitment, and it’s an experience that has no doubt helped shape him into the player he is today.
In late 2025 he was also invited try out for the Victorian Under 18 State Team and was chosen to represent Victoria at the National Championships in Queensland in April.
The Vic side played three games across the tournament winning one and losing two.
Felix’s performance in Queensland saw him come under the notice of national selectors and he was invited to try out for Australian Under 18s squad.
He was thrilled to make the cut and attend a week long training camp in Sydney, before being named in the starting line-up for the Festival of Football in Auckland, New Zealand.
On Saturday Felix and his teammates dominated from start to finish to claim a decisive victory.
Felix thanked everyone for their support to get him to this point.
“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent Australia, and I was really determined to make my family, friends, coaches and the Australian Gridiron community proud!” he said.
Felix’s sister Stella was among family and friends which made the trek to New Zealand to support Felix and the Australian side and couldn’t be more proud.
“It was an honour to be there to support him and his teammates. It’s been a real rollercoaster for us too! Learning about the sport, visiting the US and now New Zealand. We never would have envisaged this journey 12 months ago. But we are very excited to see what comes next for him,” she said.
Felix is now focusing on completing his Year 12 studies and enjoying his second season with the Dragons.
But he’d love to see where the sport could take him.
“I’d love to secure a college football scholarship in America. That would be the ultimate goal,” he said.