Football
Mike Wise, ESPN Associate Editor 7y

Australia has 'big problem at grassroots,' warns Craig Johnston

The first Australian to win an English FA Cup, Craig Johnston, has warned that the nation has "a big problem at grassroots" level that needs to be addressed.

In the wake of Football Federation Australia's decision to close the Canberra-based Centre of Excellence, former Liverpool star Johnston believes that more needs to be done to ensure that the next wave of elite youngsters are being looked after properly.

The likes of Mark Viduka, Ned Zelic, John Aloisi and Lucas Neill all forged strong European careers after spending time at the AIS-linked centre, but Johnston says that stream of talent has long since dried up.

"The problem with Australian soccer is the A-League is a good forum, but there's not enough youngsters coming through," the 56-year-old, who won nine major trophies at Liverpool in the 1980s, told ESPN FC.

"Ten to 12 years ago, there were five or six or seven players in the Premier League. Now there's zero. There should be 20, 30, 40!

"Then, when they come back to Australia, with all that experience, then the whole level lifts up.

"There's a big problem at grassroots -- the kids aren't coming through. It's a big problem we all have to address."

#INSERT type:image caption: Craig Johnston became the first Australian to win an FA Cup during his trophy-laden spell at Liverpool in the 1980s. END#

Johnston himself left Australia as a 15-year-old to pursue his footballing dream.

But when asked if he would have remained at home longer, before heading off the England, had the A-League been around in his day, Johnston responded "probably," before clarifying: "[But] when you're a footballer, you just want to be better and better and better.

"If they were good enough, which footballer in Australia wouldn't want to play for Liverpool or Everton or Chelsea or Arsenal or Barcelona?

"Imagine you're a kid from the Eastern Suburbs and Barcelona comes in for you, you're not going to hang round and play in the A-League.

"What you're going to do is play for Barcelona and then come back and going to play in the A-League. And then you're going to coach the A-League club because this is the best country in the world."

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