Several high profile stars have been tempted away in recent weeks and months to China and Korea but Buckley said it was impossible to block out the rest of the footballing world.

He said: "We can't hide under a bush. I think it's a good thing for football in Australia that countries outside Australia are very interested in our players. It shows we're producing quality players who can play on the international stage and play in the highest calibre competitions, whether that's in europe or in Asia.

"I guess it's a reflection of the global world we live in and the fact that over the last four or five years Australian football has become not only appealing to European clubs but also Asian clubs."

Despite some players choosing to leave Australia, Buckley is confident the A-League will remain attractive for foreign players and indeed, coaches.

Buckley said: "In both the coaching and the playing ranks. It's a great country, it's a great lifestyle, it's a great place to be a professional footballer.

"I'm sure as the word spreads that the Hyundai A-League is a credible competition that offers a good professional career, we will attract players from Europe, South America and, importantly, from Asia as well."

Money tallks of course and Buckley offered this assesment of the current financial structures in place.

He said: "Our current agreement with the Players Association and the players has a set formula for what the salary cap will be for the next three to four year period.

"At the moment we don't envisage that changing to any great extent. We think it's affordable within the current financial framework we have. Clearly if there was a decline in our overall income then we would have to address that. we'd sit down with the players association and do that. But that's not where we're at and we're confident our current business plan will hold up."