This is biggest question a young player of any potential is asking himself. Should I stay a couple more years establish myself here in the A-League then head overseas ? Should I go overseas when I turn 18 and try to establish my career?

We keep hearing those in the know saying that a player should establish himself in Australia first then go wherever they feel to further there career. Lets take young Tommy Oar for example. Looks to have a great future ahead of him with further development. But is Australia the place to get developed at the moment? Many will say stay here Tommy work hard then go. The others say that at Brisbane Roar the coaching is pathetic.

All in all there is no way that a player can be developed in Australia the same way as in Europe even Asia because the quality of coaching is just not as good here in Australia. So telling a young player to stay a bit longer, could be stifling his development.

I'd like to know what the opinions are on this matter. As you all know my interest in youth development is very high as my son is an aspiring professional so these topics are close to home for me.

I would say it depends on the overseas club a young player gets an offer to go to. If it's a club with a good reputation for developing young foreigners, and one you check out thoroughly in both football and non-football (accomodation, the living standards in the country/city, the culture, history of dealing with Aussies, and maybe how they treat injured players etc) matters then I'd say go for it. But if it really is an unknown quantity then I'd say stay here in Australia until you get a better offer.

Yes at 16 if you can.
Go to spain.

Is there now are rule(s) from FIFA stating that young players cant go overseas until 18?

Until recently the FFA had the power to bar any player under the age of 18 from joining a club overseas if they suspected it was for purely footballing reasons (ie/ parents weren't relocating for reasons other than to improve the kids football prospects). I believe the responsibility has now passed to FIFA - but the probability of moves being stopped still exists.

The answer to the original question is a Catch 22 in some ways. The players need to go overseas in order to further their careers - they will receive better coaching and play with and against a far higher standard of player if they go to Europe, so they should go. However, the standard of our competition will never grow to the level we want so long as the best players are going overseas. It's difficult to see how to remedy the situation - but its not the fault of the A-League, the FFA or any of the clubs - it's just the basic reality of football.

brother go to europe get out of this country if ur good enough ull make if not get over it.

BUT U NEED TO JUDGE URSELF HARSLY NOT OVERATE YOUR CHILDREN GUYS.

The big bad world of football out their is very very tough

Yes Europe is the ultimate goal, but its not only about my son that i ask the question its about youth development in Australia in general. I am my sons harshest critic, coaches with more knowledge than myself have him in there eye, so there is nothing to get over. But this topic is not about my son only, it is what is the best development path for a player with potential.

Which coach ( excluding AIS coaches ) in the country can develop players to be the next generation of socceroos? We have in the past 20 years leant on the players from Europe to do the job for us, yet in this country players keep getting told, you should stay here and play 2, 3, 4, seasons then go overseas. To me this not the best outcome for Australian players at this point in time. Maybe in the future it will be with all the fast tracking of Aussie coaches going on at the moment. But for now I agree with many that overseas is the place to go if you can manage to get there.

So Ben does that mean that FFA have no say in the release of a player to an overseas club but in fact FIFA has the say ?

I'm not sure what role the FFA play in these matters anymore to be honest. I can't keep up with all the blame-shifting.

A year ago it was their decision - no question about that - and a number of issues came to light with lads being offered contracts by highly respectable European clubs but being refused a release by the FFA.

I believe this was repeated around the world by various FA's, and that they all got sick of taking the rap, and as a result FIFA now make the ultimate decision - however, I suspect (and it's nothing more than a suspicion) that the national FA's still make the initial recommendation to FIFA as to whether a player should be allowed to move or not.

Either way, whether it's the FFA or FIFA, it's counter to the good of the majority of players. It's very sad that good young players are being held back, by whoever, and are missing their greatest opportunity to reach their potential.

I thought this may be the case also, and it is a shame that they are preventing good young players development.

i belive if the player is strong enough to live without hes parents and has the mungrel in hes eye ala kewell and cahill let them go! Even the parents are loaded and can all move then do it.

But if its a mummy's boy and need family support like a lot of players go through the a-league and move quickly to asia once hitting 21-22 if you can move to europe move to the following leagues:

belgian league
b-league greece
championship
seria b
dutch league

It is much better to do what Dukes did and be an established presence in the top tier of the local game before moving. Being a one hit wonder and then disapearing off the face of the earth to play 3rd and 4th div football internationally is the dumbest thing a young player can do. If you are good enough then you will succeed, as the national setup develops here in Australia then more of our promising youngsters will get the required grounding they need in order to make a successful move overseas - when it is right for them and their careers. At the moment those promising youngsters have already been let down by the previous poor developmental pathway that is a result of the mismanagment of the game for the past 15-20 years. Still the cream that is around will rise to the top, but it may not reach it's full potential. I would suggest that anyone thinking of moving their kids overseas for footballing development seek approval from the FFA (or their recomendation to FIFA or whatever is needed) prior to making the move. This is one of those times where asking forgiveness is not better than asking permission. Don't fuck over your kids for your own selfish pride.

Well it has been proven to me that there is too much BS in aussie football. A player that couldn't make the NSW state u/14's team a couple of years ago is playing in a game for Middlesborough and being looked at by no less than 6 six EPL teams, e.g. Man U, Man C, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Blackburn. Good luck young man may the best team win your signature. BTW it will cost these teams 100,000 pounds to buy this player from Middlesborough.

I don't think a player needs to play in the A-league before trying his hand overseas necessarily...it depends on the individual...although the A-League does offer obvious benefits to some...

What I think is more important is that the individual has sound advice from people with his best interests at heart who are also knowledgeable about football and don't just think that they are...I also think it is imperative that a player chooses his club wisely when making his move.

go mate these fwits aleague coaches here have no idea what talent is, they have to get it from overseas or so they think

The quicker you can get out of this country the better. no future in Australian soccer a-league has no future.

It's impossible to sign a foreign player under 18 in FM anymore :(

The sooner you get out of this country the better..

Australia is NOT a football nation and never will be.