The Melbourne Heart assistant coach has been a keen watcher of the A-League since its inception. Now Olsen has begun preparing Heart for their inaugural A-League season under head coach John van't Schip.

Olsen has lived in Melboune in recent years after arriving with an exceptional CV. The tricky striker was part of the famous Danish national side of 1986 dubbed the "Dashing Danes". He was signed by Manchester United where he played for four seasons in the mid-1980s.

Olsen also plied his trade with van't Schip's former club Ajax Amsterdam.

And he sees the A-League as a perfect stepping stone for the best local players who have ambitions abroad - just like in Denmark.

"The A-League is a bit like the SAS League in Denmark," he said. "We are a country that develops talent, and an important role of the SAS League is to create players for other levels.

"Some players will stay in Denmark and become great domestic stars while others will move to countries like England, Holland, Germany, Italy, France and Spain to compete with and against some of the best players in the world.

"In Australia, we now have a league which gives the opportunity to young player to not only play in the A-League but also be spotted by those other countries.

"That will evolve the A-League into a place where if you are good enough, you will leave the A-league and give space to other young players coming through, which is essential to growing Australian football at all levels."

The likes of Tommy Oar who has just gone abroad, is an example of a player who spent a very short time in the A-League before going abroad, and has the ability to show that the A-League is a stepping stone to greater things. 

"Players like Tommy will form the core of the next generation of Socceroos," predicts Olsen."There are also players such as James Holland, Dario Vidosic and Matthew Spiranovic who have already gone abroad and have a big role to play.

"The A-League has become more of a showcase for other countries as the whole package is delivered at a much higher level.

"The teams are playing in the Asian Champions League so there is an entire package which is looked at completely differently to the old NSL.

"What has happened over the last five years has elevated Australian football to a different level in terms of competitiveness as well as product as a world game."