Start here: the route north

Most pathways in Australian football point west. Europe, trials in England, academies in Spain. That is the map everyone gets handed.

There is another direction. Australia has been a member of the Asian Football Confederation since 2006. Korea and Japan are roughly nine hours away, with about an hour of time difference. Their youth systems are among the most demanding anywhere.

Almost none of it is explained in English.

This section is the map. How youth football is actually structured in Korea and Japan. What the university route looks like. How registration, age rules and visas work. Where an Australian player actually fits, and where they do not.

We will keep adding to it. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.