MATHESON, Amelia

AMELIA MATHESON was born on 30 July 1986 in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Keven Ross recalls, “a skinny little madam in Peewees, taking on all that was thrown at her.” She began local ice hockey at 16 and went on to represent her state, winning the 2010 national for the McKowen Trophy with New South Wales under Coach Kevin Price. Matheson is a pioneer of the national league, having competed with the Sydney Sirens since the first Showcase Series in 2006. She is also engaged in a significant coaching career.

In 2008, Matheson played her first game for the Sirens in the Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL), and then 50 games every four years until she reached the 150th on 17 February 2019. In 2017, she was the AWIHL champion, winning the West Lakes / McKowen Trophy with the Sirens.

In 2016, the D was appointed Sirens captain and remained in the role until 2019. She was awarded AWIHL Best D in 2016 and 2019. In the 2016-17 season, she won the club’s Above & Beyond Coach Award. In 2020, she won her second AWIHL Championship with the Sirens, and retired on 152 games, having scored 66 goals and 100 assists, an average of 1.1 points and 0.75 penalty minutes per game.

“My journey has been an incredible one,” said the former captain. “To be one of two people to play in the same team since the showcase series that started in 2006 is an honour. I have been the only person to wear jersey #16 my whole career. I achieved 2 Gold medals, 7 silver and 1 bronze.” The club awarded Matheson Best Defenseman four times.

Matheson first represented Australia in 2011 at the IIHF Division 3 World Championships in Newcastle, Australia, where the national team won Silver. In 2012, she was Alternate Captain of Australia in Division 2A in Maribor, Slovenia, winning Bronze. She returned to the 2017 Worlds in South Korea, 2018 back in Maribor, and 2019 in Dumfries, Scotland, for a total of 25 international games. She won Most Goals by Defenseman and Top Player on Team in 2017, and was Alternate Captain twice more, in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, she was Most Penalised Player.

Matheson began coaching ice hockey around 2008. She reportedly led teams to a record eight gold medals in a row. Her assistant coaching career includes U13, U15 and 17+ mens state teams. She coached the U13 Australian peewee team at the 2012 Quebec International Peewee Tournament, the Sydney Wolf Pack for two seasons in the Australian Junior Ice Hockey League, the 17+ state mens team (Brown Trophy), and the ECSL Newcastle Northstars. The coach has used an all-female coaching roster in state campaigns, winning Silver in 2022.

In 2020, AIHL Newcastle Northstars Coach John F. Kennedy Jnr appointed Matheson to the coaching team. In 2022, she became the first woman to coach a full AIHL season and continued in the role.

In 2022–23, Matheson was a Sydney Sirens assistant coach and returned to the role in 2025-6 with Coach Annelie Kvisle and assistant coach Kaylee Russell in the AWIHL’s first all-female coaching team. She is a coach in the NHLCA Female Coaches Program, a National Hockey League Coaches’ Association initiative that aims to support women in several areas, including skills development, leadership strategies, communication tactics, networking, and career advancement opportunities.

“Known as one of best coaches in Newcastle,” according to Keven Ross, “[she is] an excellent hockey player, coach and generally a beautiful person.” The Sydney Sirens retired Matheson's jersey No. 16, the highest honour a club can bestow. In 2024, her contributions to ice hockey were recognised when the Hunter Academy of Sport inducted Matheson into the Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame.