Peter Shefford

Peter Shefford was born in August 1969 in Albury, New South Wales. He currently resides in Townsville, North Queensland.

Shefford is a Mathematics, Physical Education, and Business teacher and currently works at Thuringowa State High School. He is a former Avionics Technician who worked for the Department of Defence on UH-1 Iroquois & Blackhawk helicopters at 5th Aviation Regiment.

Shefford played in the Riverina Schoolboys, Victorian Universities and Group 13 Rugby League representative sides, alongside stints with the Albury Roos, Corowa Cougars, University Saints, Upper Ross Rams, Coburg Lions, Northern Thunder, & the Bribie Island Warrigals clubs;[1] and has coached Bribie Island, Wide Bay 18s, and the Qld Barbarian Women's Rugby League teams.[2] In recent years Shefford has been involved in Masters Rugby League in Nth Qld.[3][4] He is a current committee member of the Townsville Pirates Masters Rugby League Inc; a position he has held since the association's formation in 2017.

FIT World Cup 2015 - M40 Champions

Shefford's elite coaching experience in Touch Football includes State Cups, Regional & State Championships, National Youth Championships, State of Origins, National Championships, and World Cups.

Shefford was Assistant Coach to the Australian Mixed 18s, and Australian Senior Mixed, in the 2005 Youth World Cup and All Nations tournaments respectively. He was Assistant Coach of the Australian Mixed 20s at the 2009 International Youth Challenge and Trans Tasman event; as well as Assistant Coach to the 2015 World Cup winning Australian Men's 40s team in 2015.[5][6] In 2019 he coached the Samoan Men's Open team to a silver medal at the Pacific Games; and a quarter final position at the FIT World Cup in Malaysia.

In 1999 Shefford was head Coach of the England Women's 30s team. that won the first medal for a northern hemisphere team on the international stage; and was also Head Coach for England Touch at the 2007 World Cup in South Africa.

Shefford has also twice been a member of Touch Football Australia's National Selection Panel.[7]

Over the years, interspersed with playing & coaching, Shefford has held the (Touch specific) role of Technical Director for the Australian University Games, Australian & NZ Police Games, Queensland Touch Football, and Touch Football Victoria. During a stint in the southern state, he was a Development Officer, Director of Selectors, Director of Coaching, Technical Director and President of Touch Football Victoria; before pursuing his career in the tropics and adopting volunteer roles as the Director of Selectors, Assistant Technical Director, & Coaching Director for the North Queensland Touch Association.[8]

Shefford is the current Assistant Technical Director for both the Townsville Castle Hill & North Queensland Touch Associations[9] and President of the locally based Sharks Touch Club.[10]

Shefford was twice a finalist for the prestigious Eunice Gill Leadership in Sport Award,[11] and is a recipient of the VicSport Volunteer Coach & Volunteer Administrator of the Year awards for his work with Touch Football in Victoria. He is an Honour Roll recipient for Monash University Touch, Elwood Park Touch, and the Victorian Touch Association;[12] and in 2019 was awarded the "Alan Ticehurst Memorial Award for Services to Nth Qld Sport".[13]

In early 2016 Shefford also received an Australia Day Sports Administrator of the Year award for his work in Touch Football at local, regional, state & international levels,[14][15][16][17][18] and in 2021 he received an Australia Day award for Community Volunteer of the Year [19]- recognising not only the volunteer work he does in sport, but other contributions such as fundraising for the Cancer Council, the Brain Foundation, and Ronald McDonald House; as well as a charity fund with Eyes Front Ltd for defence veterans.