EXCLUSIVE: We asked some of Australia's coaches and TV broadcasters about how Australia can develop as a real football power over the next ten years.

Seems like Australian football ticks all the boxes right now. The code has finally enjoyed World Cup glory for the Socceroos and Matildas; the A-League arrived and grew at a surprising pace in virtually every aspect joined by a youth and W-League this year while we're about to watch an Aussie team play in the ACL final.

We've witnessed increased media backing via historic broadcasting deals and partnerships and, similarly, firmer financial footing at College St. Superimposed over this renaissance has been a sustained boom in numbers at grassroots level for juniors (girls and boys) and seniors.

While at the very top of the pyramid, the FFA made the historic and fundamental decision to move – and be accepted into - the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). There even could be an Australian World Cup in the next ten years or so.

It all sounds promising, right? Well, it is. But there is still so much to do to build the strongest possible foundations for Australia to become a real football superpower.

What's more, our AFC rivals are not standing still. In West Asia, they continue to pump massive amounts of money into their game to attract the best players.

A case in point is former Gamba Osaka star striker Bare. The Brazilian was tempted away from the highly rated J-League to join UAE club Al Ahli. The Red Knights reportedly paying US$9.2m for the big forward.

However, the J-League continues to be AFC's strongest league and with visa numbers increased, Japan could realistically poach our best A-League talent in years to come.

South Korea's K-League and China's Super League are both still strong competitions while Uzbekistan's domestic competition is getting a cash-based makeover - as evidenced by the oil-money pumped into Bunyodkor in the ACL.

And motoring along nicely are Thailand and Vietnam, who are starting to produce excellent players who we saw shine at Asian Cup level. With the AFC's Vision Asia project, many of these so-called second tier footy nations are getting organised. Fast.

Asia is not standing still. Neither can we.

Who are we?

Over the next ten years, Ron Smith believes Australia should not worry too much about a football style as such.

"I'd question whether you'd have to have one style of play," he says. "The idea of a 'Dutch style or 'South American style is fraught with danger. Because good players may be discarded from the development system as they don't fit into a certain style."

Smith was AIS head football coach for four years in the 1980s, and has held club managerial positions in Malaysia and the A-League. The English-born Aussie has also had technical roles with the Malaysian FA and Football Federation Australia.

He feels coaches have to work with what they've got. "Forget about style, coaches want technical attributes. Can we develop good players with awareness, touch, good technical skills who can dribble and pass well… the style will come later.

"These are the things that will help us qualify for World Cups. And in the Asian Football Confederation [AFC], it's only going to get more difficult."

Smith reckons our future is dependant on two factors. If we can get them right, our football – and indeed our Socceroos – will be stronger for it by 2018.

"Can we produce players good enough to get contracts with big clubs?" he asks. "You see, many big Euro clubs are now putting money into developing their own players, so we need to be even better than before.

"Secondly, we must keep making the A-league better and more rewarding so these players stay for a bit longer. The key is building a great foundation at club level. You need a good strong infrastructure for sustained growth.

"And related to that, we need access to stadia that will allow the game to develop. It gives you stability."

In the J-League, for instance, they have minimum requirements for their clubs' training facilities and infrastructure. An example is the impressive Urawa Red Diamonds.

"It's what we should be aiming for," he says of the comparison. "Some A-League clubs are battling with training facilities, which impacts on them and their performance.

"Other AFC countries aren't standing still," adds Smith. "You can play catch up for a while but we have a long way to go with club structures and infrastructures.

"Inside ten years there may be stadia built specifically for A-League football to take place. As our game progresses and expands, we're going to need to have venues that we can guarantee will be available for over a nine month period and with a good surface.

"Whereas now we're second fiddle to other codes, and that will always hamper the game's development."

Ian Greener takes up the point, but looks at it from a different angle. "As the game grows, facilities will be a challenge. In recent years we have had the water shortage problems in Victoria which have had an adverse effect on playing surfaces," notes the head coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport.

"Partnerships with local councils, clubs, associations, community schools must lead to the building and maintaining of synthetic surfaces which can be used by all members of the local community and provide us with areas to allow kids to play, develop and learn under the best conditions possible."

Meanwhile, to boost our junior players' general skill level, 2007's National Football Development Plan (NFDP), introduced by FFA nationwide, brought in Small Sided Games (SSG) for junior players.

Greener sees SSG as vital, but also offers caution. "At this age group no coaching is better than bad coaching and we must at the same time maintain focus on the coach education program to support the junior coaches and to ensure children receive the appropriate information.

"It will take time for the results to show from the SSG, but I am sure in ten years time we will clearly see the rewards, although I am still apprehensive regarding the behaviour of the adults to ensure they just let the kids play."

Mike Mulvey, head football coach at the Queensland Academy of Sport, agrees that SSG is long overdue and will also help players defensively.

"It has pained me for many years to watch junior football played on a big field with players having a limited number of touches and parents on the sidelines ranting and raving.

"It will take time to convince parents that this is the best way forward but I believe with the strong leadership through the state and national governing body we will see a marked improvement in players technique and skill levels.

"In SSG there are lots of opportunities for players to practice their skills 1v1 in an attacking sense but also to improve their defending techniques in 1v1 situations."

Another strand of the NFDP is a national youth league. "There is no doubt the league will go through some teething problems and face challenges in the early years," predicts Greener, "but over the next decade I am confident we will see the playing standards grow.

"Players will develop and stay longer here in Australia before heading overseas, interest in the league will increase and also coaching and support staff will emerge who will raise the overall coaching standards.

"It will be up to the NYL coaches to ensure the winning mentality is linked very much to the process not just the outcome."