Home  »  A-League

A-League finale for Cahill

25 November 2008 | 09:37 - SBS EXCLUSIVE

Tim Cahill... linked to South Coast A-League consortium (Getty)

Tim Cahill has revealed his plan to finish his career in Australia with Wollongong-based A-League aspirants South Coast FC.


The Socceroos midfielder, who has already shown his commitment to the fledgling franchise by pledging his own cash to help set up coaching clinics bearing his name in the region, isn't content to simply put his money where his mouth is.

He also wants to get his head and feet in on the act in a project that is close to his heart.

With plans for a state of the art Tim Cahill Academy also well advanced, the free-scoring ace is determined to leave his imprint on the Australian game in more ways than one.

''For me it's all about the kids and producing a pathway for them to live their dreams in a competition that is improving all the time,'' explained the Everton star, whose contract at Goodison Park runs until 2012.

Cahill, who turns 29 on December 6, added: ''Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to round off my football life playing for a team that I'm convinced will get a licence to join the competition sooner rather than later.

''The fact I can be part of the club's player development in terms of giving kids in the region a chance to excel would only make it sweeter. I'm in this project for the long haul.

''I want to be part of the club in meaningful way on the field too. I want to come home when I still have something left to give as a player. That's also very important to me.

''Obviously I couldn't be happier where I am right now at Everton, but it would great to be a part of helping build the game up back home too because football has given me a great life.''

Cahill hopes to create a football factory firstly in the 'Gong, which will drip feed talent through to a club vying with the Lucas Neill-backed Western Sydney bid and a Canberra consortium for the 12th spot in an expanded competition in 2010.

''I've been in England since I was 16 and I've been lucky enough to achieve a lot,'' he added.

''It would be great to help play a role in giving others the same chance to fulfill their potential. There's no better place to start than the South Coast, which has such a rich heritage in football.''

The first Cahill-backed clinic is set to roll next Easter with the star pumping his own money into a concept that he plans to take nationwide as well as internationally in the UK, Dubai, China, Japan and the Pacific Islands.

Cahill's template for talent identification is far removed from the disparate and unregulated schemes, which abound nationwide with parents often asked to stump up sizeable sums by cash-hungry operators.

''For me, it's not about making money from kids it's about giving value and making them the best players they can be,'' he explained.

''I want them to just enjoy themselves, get high quality coaching at a very fair rate and see where it takes them.''

Sydney-raised Cahill is a close friend of South Coast FC's deputy chairman Bill Drossos, who played NSW state league football with Tim and brother Sean.

Younger brother Chris, who also had a brief stint trialling with several clubs in England, is closely working with Drossos and South Coast FC to establish the clinics and academy.

''It's really just about Tim giving something back to the community. I am also really pleased about our PCYC partnership, which will allow us to deliver low cost youth football programmes firstly on the South Coast and then across the country,'' said Drossos, who accompanied Cahill on a recent fact finding mission to the Illawarra.

The club's football director, former Wollongong Wolves coach Nick Theodporakopoulos, is also closely linked with the Cahill clan - and coached all three brothers as youngsters.

''With the clinics and the academy it's been something that has been on my mind for a long time,'' Cahill added.

''It hasn't just arrived overnight and it's something I'm proud to be backing.

''I want to see some of the kids who go through (in excess of 300 are predicted for the first clinic) one day play for South Coast FC in the A-League and beyond.

"I plan to bring in some great internationally experienced coaches as well as coaches who have been involved with the Socceroos so they get the best possible chance to succeed.''

''The interest has been phenomenal from parents and kids and Tim has been absolutely fantastic. What Tim is trying to do for the nation's kids should be applauded by all of us," Drossos added.

''This is not just about football. Tim is trying to provide an avenue for kids to firstly become better people then to provide an affordable and accessible pathway to live their dream. Tim is very serious about the project and he's in touch on a daily basis.

''Having Tim back as a player is just the icing on the cake."

Drossos is pleased with the bid's progress and believes the franchise is in a solid position to be accepted into the A-League, when it is expanded to 12 teams.

"We're confident we tick all the boxes to be in the A-League. Our website has already had over one million hits, we have in excess of 2500 pledged members, and we haven't extrapolated the numbers for family members, so in reality it could be two-three times that. We also already have over 60 pledged corporate members on board.''

top