Harry Kewell was the main attraction for more than 70 budding soccer stars at Kelly Park yesterday afternoon.

The former EPL star, a veteran of 56 international caps and the man who was the poster boy of the golden generation of Socceroos in their return to the World Cup in 2006, took one of eight stations in the training session on a cold and blustery afternoon.

But Kewell hopes to one day be coaching on a much bigger stage.

He queries the strict edicts of Football Federation Australia’s scripted coaching and playing styles, derides the performance of the Socceroos at the Brazil World Cup and believes the Asian Cup winning crop need to play football in the major leagues to grow the game back home.

“For me today’s an opportunity to deliver a professional footballer’s experience for kids in regional areas,” he said.

“The game is in a good place at the moment — the Asian Cup win was perfect, the winds of change were already blowing and that was a gust that just kicked it along that little bit harder.

“We still have a long way to go before we can seriously challenge the AFL or the NRL but there are a lot of parents turning their kids to soccer now.”

Kewell is full of praise for Socceroo coach Ange Postecoglou but doesn’t accept the national side did well at last year’s World Cup.

“What Ange has done has been fantastic, it is Ange’s way,” he said.

“You can only talk about his short history in charge — at the World Cup and then winning the Asian Cup but it was chalk and cheese.

“People were saying we did a 

fantastic job in Brazil but I think Ange knows that leaking goals isn’t good football.

“To his credit he corrected that when they went on to win the Asian Cup and that’s not an easy thing to do.”

But Kewell believes the Asian Cup-winning squad need to push into the top tiers of European soccer.

“The 2006 World Cup team, the golden team as they say, was playing top level football in Europe week-in and week-out,” he said.

“There is no questioning this young Australian team has the energy and talent but they need to play at bigger clubs, in the top leagues.

“That will be a bonus for them individually, the Socceroos and the game here in Australia.”

Yesterday’s Harry Kewell Academy was designed for 8 to 14-year olds and while Kewell aspires to coaching at a higher level, he admits he has a long way to go.

“I’m not sure about there being just the one way to play the game — my ideas are different to Ange’s ideas, Ange’s ideas are different to Graham Arnold — it is what is great about this game,” he said.

“I’ll do my licences during the summer and see where it takes me.

“It is also one thing to coach and another to deal with man management side of the job and fit into a culture at a club.

“Some do it easily others don’t — but I’m up for the challenge.”