Home grown coaches are key to the development of young players according to Football Federation Australia.

Speaking before the FFA's inaugural national coaching conference to be held in Sydney tomorrow and Tuesday, FFA CEO Ben Buckley said that the ultimate objective is to improve the quality and technical proficiency of players, as well as give coaches a development pathway.

Timed to coincide with the worldwide FIFA Congress which also gets underway in Sydney this week, the conference includes some of the biggest names in world football from a technical perspective.

Keynote speakers at the conference include: FIFA Technical Director, Education and Development Jean-Michel Benezet, German Football Federation Chief Coaches Instructor Erich Rutemöller, former German National Team Head Coach and World Cup player Jurgen Klinsmann (via video link), former Dutch Eredivisie Coach Hans Westerhof, former Socceroos and Czech coach Dr Josef Venglos, and President of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam

“We have attracted some of the biggest names in world football to attend this event and the knowledge and experience they will share will be of great benefit to all who will attend," Buckley said.

“The conference is a forum for all coaches, from grassroots to international level, to share ideas about how to best prepare football players for now and the future.”

"We want every child who plays football to develop new skills, to improve their technical proficiency and to do so in a safe, positive and enjoyable environment.

"For talented young players, we need to deliver high quality coaching that continuously builds skill levels and technique, and which gives them the right competitive opportunities throughout their career.

Buckley said that key to meeting both of these objectives is also to support the skill levels and development of coaches, regardless of whether coaching Under 6s or elite teams.

"The role of coach is an important building block to achieving long term growth of the game, as well as regular and sustained success at international level," Buckley said.

The conference will also feature sessions on sports science, sports medicine and sport psychology.

Around 300 participants are expected to attend the conference including coaches from other sporting codes including Hawthorn AFL coach, Alastair Clarkson.