Socceroos World Cup star Craig Goodwin says Australian football needs greater financial investment at the junior level if the national teams are to be more competitive on the international stage.
Goodwin was speaking in the wake of the Socceroos' appearance in the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a performance which equalled their best finish at the tournament.
The Socceroos made history by winning two matches for the first time at a men's World Cup, before falling to Argentina 2-1 in the opening knock-out stage.
Goodwin said increased funding for football in Australia would improve coaching standards at the "grassroots" level, which potentially would have a flow-on effect for the Socceroos and Matildas.
According to Goodwin, junior development must be a key priority for Australia as football's most powerful nations already invest heavily in coaching.
"For me, I would say the biggest one would be trying to … close the gap between the quality of coaching that we receive from a young age," Goodwin told ABC Sport.
"In Europe and South America … all the professional teams have these academies with quality coaching that they're getting from a young age. They're just getting so much more football and games into their legs, and learning things a lot sooner.
"At the top level for me, that was the biggest difference. It wasn't tactical, it wasn't physical; it was the technical ability that they had.
"That was the biggest difference when it came to the high quality with France and Argentina, and a lot of the other top teams as well.
"I think if we can improve the coaching and the general set-up we get from a young age to give us a better transition into senior football, then hopefully that will go a long way."
Goodwin said the Socceroos' performance in Qatar showed Australia could produce world-class talent.
"I think it's a great advert for the A-League and Australian football in general," he said.
"It just shows that we do have a lot of quality within our ranks. We hope it inspires the next generation to do bigger and better things."
Goodwin scored the Socceroos' opening goal at the World Cup during their 4-1 loss to defending champions France in the group stage.
He said the World Cup experience "felt like a dream".
"Now that it's over, you can look back on it and there is obviously a lot of joy and pride about what we were able to achieve, but the whole thing has been a bit of a whirlwind to be honest," he said.
The only downside for Goodwin following the World Cup was the fact he was struck down with the flu on his way back to Australia.
He was forced out of Adelaide United's A-League Men match against Brisbane Roar in Redcliffe on Friday night but is hopeful of being passed fit to face Wellington Phoenix next Saturday.
