Tony Popovic discusses developing Australia’s elite young talent into future Socceroos
Tony Popovic hopes he’s seen the first steps of some future Socceroos. The national coach discusses how to develop Australia’s elite young talent into international stars.
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Did we witness the first steps of a future Socceroo this week?
National coach Tony Popovic certainly hopes that’s the case.
He was on hand to watch some of Australia’s best young talent take the field at the Emerging Socceroos Championships in Melbourne on Friday.
The challenge now, helping that talent develop to the international level.
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Popovic said there were so many more levels to being an elite footballer in the modern game.
“That’s what FA is working hard on, having workshops here, it’s not just about what they do on the field,” Popovic said.
“Do they understand what nutrition entails, physical preparation, medical support, social media and drugs and alcohol, these are things young men have to navigate to try and be an elite footballer.
“If we can teach these young men now, with the support of their family and friends, that’s a big part of handling the pressure at the highest level.
“The first step is can they get into the under-17s with Carl (Veart) and progress from there.
“Can they get into the under-20s, the under-23s and some players can skip a lot and go straight to the top.
“Age shouldn’t be a barrier, whether they’re 16 or 17 or a senior player a Socceroo can always debut.”
Popovic arrived to see Victoria Blue claim a third straight under-15 national title over Queensland, while NSW Sky won the under-16 crown against Western Australia.
The likes of newly appointed Joey coach Carl Veart, former Socceroos Josh Kennedy and Paul Trimboli, Matildas great Heather Garriock were all on hand, while national striker David Williams coached the Charles Perkins squad.
The NSW Sky team had seven players who have already had international experience having earnt selection in the Joeys’ squad to tour China earlier this year.
Their connection was clear to see, impressing Popovic.
“You can see the boys that have played together for a while, there’s an understanding on the pitch which always helps,” he said.
“They grow a lot on and off the pitch together when they spend the week away, which ultimately when you go away for international representation you have to spend time away from home, different cultures, different environments and climates.”
“It was great to see two competitive games, four teams trying to win, and you can see how much it means to them celebrating with a trophy.”
Appointed Socceroos coach last year, Popovic secured World Cup 2026 qualification in June.
If he remains in charge on the road to Spain, Portugal and Morocco 2030, he could well consider some of these players.
Popovic represented Australia 58 times, appearing at the historic 2006 World Cup.
He was also part of the Olyroos squad at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
So did he see a there a future Popovic out there?
“I hope there’s an even better than a Tony Popovic out there, that would be great for the Socceroos,” he said.
“There’s some raw talent out there and I wouldn’t look past the players that aren’t here either.
“At 15-16, you might be physically better than a lot of players but when you get to 19-20 a kid that nobody’s talked about can bypass all of them and be a star.
“We’ve got to not lose those kids that have something but lose interest in the game and that’s always the challenge for us in Australia.”
Originally published as Tony Popovic discusses developing Australia’s elite young talent into future Socceroos
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