The free, innovative academy that could rejuvenate Australian soccer

Internationally recognised soccer coach and player agent Raymond Wood says Australia can win a World Cup in the next two decades – but the game’s structure must be dramatically overhauled first.

After a career working with global powerhouses such as Liverpool, Leicester City and PSG, Wood now has his eye on the nation’s next generation of stars.

Through his Euro Football Star Academy, he hopes to rectify what he believes are wrongs in the game.

Wood says the cost of playing sport has left many talented young players falling through the cracks.Credit: Getty Images

The Brisbane-based academy will recruit 60 boys and 60 girls aged eight to 16 after a series of trials, then expose successful participants to elite coaching and soccer education, for free.

The ultimate goal is to guide athletes to the game’s heights, leaning on Wood’s contact book from his time as an agent after more than 25 years in the industry.

Wood says Australian clubs’ ability to determine how prospects are mentored has been largely taken out of their hands – in direct contrast to his experiences in the Premier League.

Some federation changes, such as the National Premier League (NPL) player points system, were condemned by Socceroos greats, and will be phased out in time for the 2026 season, to accommodate at least five youth players on the match-day team sheet.

Raymond Wood speaks to a room of soccer hopefuls.

While the Australian Sports Commission last week announced $385 million in funding for grassroots and elite sport – including more than $6 million for Football Australia – Wood said Australia was well behind where it should be, given the wealth of talent available.

The UEFA-accredited coach said there was a “myth” in Australia that the Matildas’ success at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup meant there was a strong foundation on home soil, but the reality was those triumphs came when the majority of the squad embarked for overseas competitions.

“Kids shouldn’t have to leave Australia to be that good. If football was to get the same financial support as the Olympics and things like the NRL and AFL, I think Australia is capable of winning a World Cup in the next 20 to 30 years,” Wood said.

“But they need to recognise they’ve made mistakes, and they need to backtrack on it quickly and give more control back to the clubs. That’s where the culmination of development happens.”

Between 1992 and 2006, he said, 57 male footballers played in the Premier League. Since then, there have been only seven.

“They made some major changes at federation level ... The wheel wasn’t broken, and it didn’t need to be fixed.”

Trials will take place at Albion Sports Centre on December 8, and in January. Then Wood plans to take the initiative across the country.

He said promising juniors and their families now pay from $3000 to $10,000 a year to push for the top levels, with many talented players falling through the cracks.

“It’s become about two things – money and elitism, and that’s the difference with this academy,” he said.

“We’re listening every day to the families and parents … the biggest complaint we’ve got in Australia is the cost of sport, especially soccer. I’ve been working away for nine or 10 years to make this dream possible.”

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