Football Australia achieves 3-Star membership in AFC Elite Youth Scheme | Football Australia

The membership recognises Football Australia’s unwavering commitment to fostering and developing young football talent across the nation. 

The AFC Elite Youth Scheme's highest attainable 3-star membership serves as a testament to the exceptional quality of Football Australia's talent development program, establishing Football Australia as world-class within the region. 

The announcement closely follows Football Australia's accolade at the 2023 AFC Annual Awards in Doha, Qatar, where Football Australia received the AFC President's Recognition Award for Grassroots Football, further highlighting the commitment towards grassroots development. 

Ernie Merrick, Chief Football Officer at Football Australia, emphasised the significant effort and planning that had gone into this achievement. 

"As we see Football Australia's development programs continually advancing through collaborative efforts with FIFA and the AFC, our endorsement with a 3-star status in the AFC Elite Youth Scheme underscores our commitment to refining the processes and structures for our youth programs,” Merrick said. 

“This recognition is a source of great pride, and we are very honoured to be acknowledged in this manner. 

“Credit should be attributed to Technical Director – Men’s and Head Coach of the Subway Young Socceroos, Trevor Morgan’s initiative, supported by Technical Director - Women's and Head Coach - Women's U17, Rae Dower and Girls Youth Development Manager, Debbie Fisher. The webform was designed and created utilising the Data and Analytical skills of General Manager – Football Analysis, Data & Insights, Doug Kors and Alex Turner. All Technical staff contributed to the development of the programs.” 

In August 2023, a team of AFC experts,