It’s understood the new NTD will report directly to FFA CEO David Gallop, rather than Emma Highwood, Head of Community, Football Development and Women’s Football at FFA.

The key appointment is expected within the next two weeks, and the chances of it being an Australian are said to be quite high.

However, it’s also understood that Socceroos coach Graham Arnold and former Matildas coach Alen Stajcic may not have been involved in the process of selecting the NTD, despite FFA claiming both were ‘special’ advisors to the process.

To find the right person, Highwood facilitated an external panel process featuring Rae Dower, Tony Vidmar, and John Didulica.

The under-fire national governing body has been dragging the chain on this vital appointment since the departure of highly rated Belgian Eric Abrams seven months ago, though that could also be because those on their list may have already been under contract with other organisations.

FFA had stated the appointment would be made by November 2018 following a meeting of an external panel in late September 2018, but Highwood last year admitted the issues leading up to the new FFA board had put the hunt for a new NTD on the back burner.

Abrams, one of the architects of the famed Belgian FA development system that produced a glut of English Premier League stars and pushed Belgium into becoming a world power, began working as the Technical Director of the Myanmar Football Association in October last year.

Abrams joined the Myanmar FA last year

For a large part of his tenure at FFA, Abrams reported to Highwood. 

While this raised eyebrows in some quarters due to the disparity in experience, the new NTD will now directly report to the CEO.

However, Highwood facilitated the panel process to find a new appointment.

Following Abrams' departure from Oxford St after four years, FFA sought to ‘review and evolve its male and female youth development practices in order to take a more holistic approach to youth development’.

It’s unclear how this review with key stakeholders has been conducted or what has been learned from this process.

"We are looking for a strong leader who can harness this passion, pull all parts of the ecosystem together to provide players with the best football environment to ensure our Matildas and Socceroos can compete with the best in the world," Highwood said last year.

"We've got to have a vision, we've got to have a strong leader in that space – and it's not an area where we can have misalignment."

From the panel process, a recommendation is made to David Gallop who takes that recommendation to the FFA board with the person set to be announced in the next fortnight.

The spotlight will be on FFA to get this appointment absolutely right.