To see the stars posing at the new season launch...

The Sydney FC midfielder and Professional Footballers Association president says the game in Australia can be proud of the strides made over the last three years and that it is only a matter of time before the competition is causing more established leagues to acknowledge its presence.

Colosimo told au.fourfourtwo.com: “Look at how far we’ve come. The corporate support is there, there’s numbers watching the game we could only have dreamed of and look at the quality of players.

“We won’t compete with Serie A, English Premier League and the Spanish league but we will compete with the next tier of competition in time, as long as we keep building and don’t let up.

“All the initiatives are in place to develop a strong league. There’s quality (overseas) players coming in every year, they’ve still plenty to offer and there’s a strong focus on developing young Australian talent as well. That’s a healthy situation.”

Colosimo is also looking long term when it comes to helping club side Sydney FC to success.

He is not interested in winning a trophy this year, only to fail miserably the next.

He said: “I don’t think it’s about just winning the championship. What the chairman and club is trying to build is becoming THE powerhouse in the A-League.

“It’s building that 'winners-only' mentality. It’s like Manchester United. If they don’t win it this year then they win it next year and then again and so on. That's what we want."

To see the stars posing at the new season launch...