Former Socceroo and marquee signing Archie Thompson was disappointed to hear his former side was forced to withdraw from NPL 3 last week due to a player shortage at under-18 and under-20 level, but is confident it will continue to thrive.

Thompson would like to see more resources put into the club's junior program, which is at full capacity from under-12s through to under-16s, to ensure it maintains a presence in Victoria's premier competition.

"I know that the club is still very keen on developing the young talent that is there and they've still got a foothold into Melbourne," Thompson said.

"It's obviously disappointing at senior level, but it's hard.

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"To be honest, there's probably not enough talent at that level to be competitive and fill squads and trying to attract players from Melbourne because of the travel, is really, really hard.

"It would be nice to have a Murray team competing this year, but that's life.

"I feel a bit sorry for the young guy (Igor Srbinovski) that came up there to manage the team and it's disappointing for some of the players there as well, but at least there's still opportunities for the young ones.

"You're not really developing players in local leagues, it should be more focused on giving kids opportunities in the NPL if it's their dream to be footballers."

Murray chairman Darren Yates told The Border Mail this week the club is still determined to make Baranduda Fields its future home despite the setback with the seniors.

Thompson sees that as a huge positive.

"They've got the new stadium (at Baranduda Fields) which is going to be developed and at least the kids will get the opportunity to play at a decent facility," Thompson said.

"It would be nice if they're able to have that as a senior setup as well, I'm sure they'll push to get something up and running again."

But having been through it all before, Thompson knows the dedication to make it to the highest level, particularly from regional areas has to be there from a young age.

"I've seen it at NPL level where people are just happy to play NPL, even if they might have a bit of talent, they're not looking to go further," he said.

"That's fine, but maybe don't take someone else's opportunity."

Thompson made 38 appearances for Murray United in the past three seasons and scored 12 goals.