Former Gungahlin player George Timotheou recently joined German Bundesliga  club FC Schalke 04 after failing to win a contract at A-League club Sydney FC.

Timotheou told FourFourTwo the lack of pathways made it difficult for Canberra youngsters to break into the A-League.

“It seems to be hard in my experience,” he said. “Then again it shouldn’t necessarily be easy either.

“However if you come from Canberra like myself - I was a bit more fortunate in that I had some exposure as an AIS player - it’s even harder without a local A-League club."

Caggiano said that unfortunately this was not an uncommon situation.

“Tom Rogic got his break after winning the Nike Chance competition, recently Leo Mazis signed directly to Celtic from local club Belconnen,” Caggiano said.

“How many more potential A-League players or even Socceroos are slipping through the net?”

Caggiano said the Canberra and Capital Region Bid would prioritise building a clear pathway for the region’s best young players.

“This region is a proven breeding ground for elite talent, but at the moment there is no pathway to the A-League," he said.

“If the next Daniel Arzani is currently playing junior football somewhere like Bega, Yass or Goulburn, we will have the processes in place to bring that player into the A-League."

Caggiano is currently visiting clubs and federations across Southern NSW building a network that will form the basis of an elite player identification framework.