Mitch Woellner and Pete Breuer reappointed as Australia's American football tackle head coaches for 2027
American Football Australia (AFA) has reappointed Mitch Woellner and Pete Breuer as head coaches of Australia's junior and men's tackle teams for the 2027 Festival of Football, which returns to the Gold Coast with test matches against New Zealand on Saturday 10 July.
Woellner will lead the U16 and U18 programs for a third Festival, having coached both junior teams on the Gold Coast in 2025 and in Auckland this year, where the U16s won 44-0 and the U18s won 34-22. Breuer returns for a third campaign with the men's team, coming off a 1-1 record against New Zealand, with both matches decided by less than a touchdown.
The 2027 Festival of Football will be the third edition of the series, returning to the Gold Coast after the New Zealand American Football Federation (NZAFF) hosted the 2026 edition in Auckland.
With support from the City of Gold Coast, Australia's squads will gather for a national camp on the Gold Coast from Saturday 3 July in preparation for the three test matches on Saturday 10 July. Wade Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of American Football Australia, said:
Mitch and Pete have tremendous character, they have done a great job in building the current junior and senior programs alongside everything else they do for the sport. I can’t thank them enough for the huge amount of work they put in to their respective programs. They bring experience and continuity, and reappointing them provides another chance for the programs to develop further during the 2027 Festival of Football campaign on the Gold Coast. The national programs provide a fantastic opportunity for Coaches, players, officials and support staff another opportunity to represent Australia.
Speaking on the partnership Festival of Football partnership with NZAFF, Kelly added:
Both NZAFF, AFA and our respective communities need to keep building participation opportunities. We’d love to add a Womens fixture and U14’s. It’s exciting the amount of interest there is in our sport and brick by brick we need to keep at it.
On the future of national representative teams, Kelly added:
Having thriving U13, U15, U17, U19 and Senior competitions across the states feeding representative opportunities at U14, U16, U18, U20 and Senior levels is the long term goal - it will take a large effort, I know we can get there.
Speaking on the program's focus, Mitch Woellner, Head Coach of the Junior Australian Tackle Football Teams, said:
"It's another chance to challenge our standards. New Zealand are great at their craft, but it's always about us, and it comes down to whether our players can maintain discipline, execute the scheme and play one play at a time. The rest is just noise."
Selection for the 2027 squads starts with staff and coaching expressions of interest across both programs, with roles in strength and conditioning, data and analytics, team management, equipment, medical and player engagement alongside the coaching positions.
Player submissions through the Digital Talent ID platform will open shortly for all three teams, and details of a new junior development camp format and the men’s selection process will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Australia’s national program is delivered and supported by the contributions of volunteer coaches and support staff who run these representative pathways for players.
Staff and coaching expressions of interest for the 2027 National Tackle Campaign are now open and can be submitted at form.jotform.com/262839307580868
Expressions of interest close December 01, 2026.
2027 FESTIVAL OF FOOTBALL
Australia v New Zealand
Saturday 10 July | Gold Coast
U16, U18 and Men's tackle teams
———
Stay up to date on American Football in Australia, follow @americanfootballau on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
For more information on American football in Australia, visit americanfootball.org.au
Download the AFA app today:
———
Media contact
Brock Bentley Chief Marketing Officer, American Football Australia
American Football Australia
American Football Australia (AFA) is the national governing body for American Football in Australia, recognised by the Australian Sports Commission and a full member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). AFA is responsible for national competitions and the development of Australian national teams across both tackle and flag football.
