MATT Foster has created a first in American college football.

The former Naracoorte junior colts footballer is the first Australian punter to play in a division one national championship game of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

And he’s doing “a pretty good job”, according to his father Michael Foster.

A student at Sam Houston University in Texas, Matt plays for the Sam Houston BearKats.

Matt lived in Naracoorte for about five years and played for Naracoorte Football Club before continuing his football at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide.

After secondary school, he played for Glenelg Football Club and did a pre-season training stint with AFL club Hawthorn.

He wasn’t added to the Hawthorn rookie list and moved on to play for Casey Scorpions in the VFL and then Cranbourne in the amateurs where he was introduced to American football (gridiron).

Videos of his kicking were sent to the US and he was recruited by Sam Houston.

The 25-year-old is in his third year of studying Information Technology at university.

“Before he went, he was taught to punt ‘American style’,” Michael said.

Matt’s father travelled to the championship final on January 7 and sat with 30,000 dedicated football fans in the stadium.

The BearKats lost 6-17 to North Dakota State - the team’s first loss in 17 games.

Michael thought his son would be nervous before the big game but he coped well.

“He wasn’t too bad...he adjusted pretty good really.”

American football is very different from any sport in Australia.

“Eleven people take the field... and there’s a coach for each line of play,” Michael said.

“When the teams don’t advance far enough, they bring the punter on. It’s strange.”

Matt wants to further his football career in America and hopes his kicking is good enough so he can go into the National Football League.

Training is gruelling: the BearKats train twice a day, seven days a week.

They get up at 5.30am - even in the snow - and start again at 4.30pm.

“Matt said they train harder over there than a pre-season at Hawthorn,” Michael said.

He’s proud of his son’s achievements.