In doing so, the VPL outfit has challenged football clubs across the nation to get off the benches and move to the forefront of player development.

The club’s goal to provide pathways for young Australian footballers both here and overseas received a further boost this week with the unveiling of a new Technical Director.

Marcelo Koslowsky has more than a decade of youth development experience in Portugal and Brazil and will head up a 48-week program run by a full-time coaching staff.

Representatives from the club flew to Brazil last month to meet with footballing legend, Emerson, who owns the Fragata FC Academy where Koslowsky oversaw the development of players aged 11 to 20.

Already, a series of trials have kicked off for some 300 registered players before training begins at the end of January.

Training will be ramped up from twice a week to four and five days a week as the club seeks to take the best from Fragata and FC Porto development curriculums.

South Melbourne’s youth development manager Andrew Mesorouni said Australian clubs could not afford to be “bench sitters” when it came to identifying and developing footballers.

“What South Melbourne is doing right now is trying to simulate something that is similar to what’s happening in Europe and South America at an elite level,” Mesorouni told au.fourfourtwo.com.

“All coaches will follow our program whether you’re in an U9 or U21 team – the message and the philosophy and the methodology will all be the same.

“We see it as important that clubs get behind the development of football in this country – we have a massive responsibility.

“Clubs need to be responsible for the development of kids and South Melbourne have a rich history of doing that in the past.”

One of the most successful outfits in the history of Australian football, the club has been home to more than 50 Socceroos including the likes of Alan Davidson, Paul Trimboli and Paul Wade.

It won more than four national titles under the old NSL and is keen to get back on the national stage; a critical step in providing career pathways for players.

A previous attempt to enter the A-League was thwarted, but with plans for a second tier Australian Premier League (APL) gathering pace the club sees new opportunities.

“We’ve made it known publicly that South Melbourne is right behind the APL and as far as we’re concerned it’s probably one of the best things that’s happened in a long time for football in this country,” Mesorouni said.

“It’s no secret that South Melbourne wants to aspire again to be part of a national competition, whether that is in the Australian Premier League or if one day the gods put their hands on us and allow us to be in the A-League.”