You've managed to score at Anfield once again this season, plus knock them out of the FA Cup.

It's good. Scoring against Liverpool is an amazing feeling. Knocking them off the top of the league was a massive feat. A lot of people might look at me and not be happy with me, but my job is to play for Everton.

 

After scoring against Aston Villa to send Everton into the last eight of the FA Cup, you dedicated your goal to the Victoria bushfire victims.

You have to think "it's just football". There are more important things in life at the moment. The news effected me before I went to Japan. Part of you doesn't want to leave your family to go to Japan as you want to be close to your loved ones. Part of you has to move on and be strong. As players we gave our match fees to the cause and we were thinking of those who had lost loved ones and the state of play in Australia. It's hard to think of something like that happening in a beautiful country like Australia. It's hard to take in, it just feels like a real bad dream.

 

Losing Yakubu for the season was a big blow to the team. You seem to have been handed more goal scoring responsibilities.

Yeah, I suppose so. Yakubu is a very important striker for us and a great player. Him doing his Achilles and being out for the season is disheartening. I have found myself playing upfront as a lone striker and doing what strikers do. It's not always about scoring, but playing well within the team.

 

How long have you got left on your deal at Everton and what's the long-term plan?

I have got about two or three years left on my deal. I love it at this club and everything that has happened in the past five years since I have been here has always been positive. When I came here I knew it was a club I wanted to play for and I showed that on the pitch. Who knows what will happen? It is a hell of a long time, after that it is about signing again or seeing what happens. I love everything about Everton - the fans, the lads, the staff, the family atmosphere. It is a family-oriented atmosphere place and a lot of people care about the club a lot. When I play I try and influence the club and everything I do is Everton orientated.

 

Looking back to Australia, what's your plan for a potential South Coast FC bid?

I'm involved in that bid, but it is going to take time. It is something I am working on alongside forming my Tim Cahill Academies throughout Australia. We have been working on that for the last couple of years. South Coast is something which isn't just a two-minute thing, it has a lot of due diligence behind it and people working hard to try and put something together. I feel supporting it and being involved with it is the best thing. I'll set up the academies first and worry about the football club after.

 

Do you envisage your South Coast FC involvement to be as a player or just an investor?

One day I'll go back to Australia, but it's not going be too soon. I have a lot of football left in my career at the highest level. After Everton, you just never know who you will be playing for or whether I'll sign again. South Coast FC has gone well past just the investor stage for me, but it's more about the youth development of the kids at all different levels with different scholarships. South Coast FC is still a long way away, but the best thing about the project separate to the academies is that it is a sleeping giant, so we don't want to keep going out and just talking about it. We are more concerned with actually doing it, than just talking about it. The competition from the Western suburbs, and another team in Timbuktu and another team in wherever, we are not worried about that. We are worried about doing our work quietly and showing our results later on in good time.

 

What do you hope to achieve with your Australian youth academies?

We have been working on this for some time. It will enables kids to come along, be coached and shown the right way to train and have discipline. We will have these kids who aspire to play football and we will give them the full package. There are so many academies all over the place and they are probably very good, but I feel responsible. Kids look up to me and every time I go to Australia I'm always asked the question, "Is there somewhere the kids can go to learn?". The awareness is already there and the kids are really excited about it. It is one of those things where I'm trying to put something back into the game. I want to give the kids the same dreams and hopes as when I started. We have to start these things and build them slowly. It is not going to happen overnight.

 

What are your impressions of the current A-League set-up?

I like the A-League as it is a chance for kids to play in a competition in Australia. With the way football has grown in Australia over the last six years, it has needed this injection of sponsorship, money, a bit of flare, television and fans. It gives them something to aspire to. It gives the kids an opportunity to play in a decent level of competition. We get the A-League in England and it's great to see the likes of Archie scoring, or any of the lads scoring and playing well. I'm very positive about the A-League, but obviously it is always going to need fine tuning and that is why the involvement of a team on the South Coast is a niche in the market that the league is missing at the moment.

 

The A-League seems to be missing the star imports and returning national heroes of past seasons...

I don't want to criticise the players, but the reason for that is that as players, me speaking personally, my dream is to play at the highest level for as long as possible. Then hopefully come home and play in the A-League and help take that to another level.  It would be brilliant to come home and bring my kids home. One day that will definitely happen. Lucas [Neill] has spoken about how he'd come back to play in the A-League, I don't know about Harry or Viduka. We are all very positive and passionate about our country and the A-League.

 

Are you confident about the quality of the next crop of Socceroos?

Yeah, I hope so. If you look through the years, the quality of players coming through has only got better. It is about the determination of the players to succeed in football. You have to start somewhere and you have to build those foundations. So many academies around the world have got their kids from as young as 10 years old. I already do a lot of work with the Everton academy and the kids are aged from five to six upwards. That gives them a head start on techniques and being coached. I have been supported by David Moyes, who has always been positive to my ideas. My book company too has been teaching kids to read and that is all part of the education and charity.  

Adidas TECHFIT helps Tim Cahill boost his speed, power, leap and endurance. For more information or to find your nearest stockists call 1800 801 891 or go to adidas.com.au