FORMER Newcastle Jets chief executive Robbie Middleby was the region's most recent home-grown Socceroo.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Middleby earned five caps, the last of which was in 2002 - a 1-0 loss to New Zealand in the final of the Oceania Nations Cup in Auckland.
Before Middleby, Clayton Zane represented Australia 14 times, including 1-0 wins over Brazil and France, where he scored the winner, at the 2001 Confederations Cup.
Zane was this week appointed Northern NSW Football Technical Director, replacing Michael Browne, who resigned in February.
The region's failure to produce Socceroos is one of many areas Zane hopes to improve.
"Someone has to take responsibility," said Zane, who will juggle his new role as well work as an assistant coach at the Jets until October.
Equally alarming is the dearth of NNSW players at a national youth level.
While the region has developed a production line of Young Matildas and Matildas, it's a different scenario with the boys.
"They recently did an identification process for the under-15s at a national level," Zane said. "We didn't have anyone from our region in that selection. In the under-17s we have one player, Jack Simmons. In the under-20s we have a goalkeeper, Noah James. In the under-23s we have Angus Thurgate who is local. Johnny Koutroumbis is from Adelaide. It doesn't make for very good reading and highlights that we are not producing enough talent for the number of players we have in this region."
Much of Zane's focus will be on the "youth space" and implementing programs and elite player pathways "so we can try and produce more Socceroos"
The Northern NSW efforts will underpin those conducted by the Jets Academy.
"One problem that often occurs in the youth space is that everyone is running their own race," Zane said. "The first thing for me is to get the club technical directors together and improve the systems they are operating. It doesn't mean that everyone has to play the same way or have the same philosophy. We need to make sure anyone we see developing is moving up, anyone who is falling out, we catch them and make sure they don't fall out of the system. There are a lot of things to do."
Zane, who played and started his coaching career overseas, has been with the Jets since 2011 and although "enjoying" his current role and "learning" a lot alongside coach Ernie Merrick, believed the time was right for a new challenge.
"I have learned so much from Ernie," Zane said. "I have a really good rapport with him, but this is something I have always had an eye on. Since I have been back in Newcastle, I have finished two degrees - one in sports management and a masters in sports coaching. I was always upskilling myself and trying to move across to the technical space. I wouldn't have taken the job unless I could make an impact. I think there is room to have an influence and make things better."