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Denis Genreau in action for the Olyroos last July.Credit:AP

According to the report,the A-League has offered more of its match minutes to players under the age of 21 than any other Asian league this season,with 14 per cent of minutes played by youngsters. On average,clubs have doubled their investment in scholarship players (under 20s) while Central Coast Mariners are ranked 17th in the world for having players trained by the club and playing the most amount of match minutes,according to the CIES Football Observatory.

The change was largely born out of the pandemic striking as the league grew from 10 clubs to 12. COVID-19 slashed club’s budgets,hit revenue streams across the league as attendances plummeted,membership take-up dropped and schedule changes proved costly. The salary cap shrunk from $3.2 million per season to $2.5 million,sparking an exodus of players. With that talent drain and the entrance of two new clubs came opportunities for youngsters who command far smaller salaries than foreigners and experienced players.

Not only did it save cash for clubs,it also injected plenty of it. This season,Australian clubs received a combined sum of $3.5 million from player sales - double the figure of last year - and that’s before the end-of-season transfer window opens in July.

Genreau’s move from Macarthur to Toulouse earned the A-League club more than $300,000,not including a percentage of his next transfer. Riley McGree’s transfer from Adelaide to Middlesbrough,via Charlotte,brought the Reds up to $2.1 millionin transfer fees and sell-on clauses. The Reds also saw windfalls from the sales of Ben Halloran to FC Seoul,Stefan Mauk to Fagiano Okayama and will have another pay day when teenage striker Mohamed Toure finalises his move to a French club in July.

Joel King made his Socceroos debut and moved from Sydney to Odense in January.Credit:Getty

Sydney FC sold Joel King to Danish club Odense for $400,000 plus on-sell clauses. Scottish club Hearts poured money into the A-League with the signing of Nathaniel Atkinson from Melbourne City and Cameron Devlin from Newcastle and the market isn’t likely to slow down in winter. Western Sydney’s 23-year-old midfielder Keanu Baccus is reportedly close to joining Scottish club St Mirren,Connor Metcalfe is set to swap City for St Pauli and his teammate Marco Tilio is being targeted by several European suitors.

It’s not just the clubs benefitting,but the national team too. Nine young products of the A-League made their Socceroos debut in the past 12 months in what has been the unearthing of a bright,new generation.

“The good thing is that they’re not just a once-off,” Socceroos captain Mat Ryan said.

“You see players emerging across the A-League at every club and so many across the league not just playing but making a huge impact on games. They are all coming from the A-League clubs which is a promising sign.”

“It just shows the future is in good hands and these new young players can step up and become important players for the Olyroos or the Socceroos soon and thrive in Europe like Denis has this season.”

In the days since earning promotion,Denis Genreau has been scouring Toulouse for an Australian pub ahead of his club’s imminent crowning as Ligue 2 champions.

“I am going to buy a VB and do a shoey at the stadium,” he said.

When Genreau raises his sodden boot,he’ll be making a toast to a wave of youngsters making strides not seen since the golden generation.

“We’ve got so many good young players in Australia killing it which is so good to see,” he said.

Watch football’s biggest superstars in theUEFA Champions League,UEFA Europa League andUEFA Europa Conference League on Stan Sport. Coverage returns for the Semi-Finals next week with Villarreal v Liverpool (Wednesday 4:35am AEST) and Real Madrid v Manchester City (Thursday 4:35am AEST). All matches streaming ad-free,live and on demand only onStan Sport.

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