KEW Jaliens has played for Holland at a World Cup, captained the Newcastle Jets and has coached at club level for Weston.
Now, the former defender has been given the role of ensuring the Jets and Northern NSW have a production line of juniors - boys and girls - graduating to the professional ranks.
Jaliens has taken up the newly-formed position of the Jets and Northern NSW Youth Technical Director.
The role is all encompassing. He will oversee the Jets academy, be in charge of talent identification and work with clubs throughout Northern NSW.
"A lot of it will be talent ID and setting up programs for clubs," Jaliens said. "Every club has their own culture, their own framework. There will be a lot of visiting clubs, a lot of communication, a lot of working with club technical directors. There is a lot of talent in the region and it's key that they get the right guidance.
"The reason it is exciting for me is because the infrastructure and landscape that we have in Northern NSW is a very good one. The community will take their part in this. If you look at the NPL structure, the main focus will be to deliver players - boys and girls - to the Jets. It is up to the Jets to deliver national team players.
"If you want to create national team players it all starts at NPL level. You can only reap what you sew."
Jaliens, who retired from playing in 2015 after a season with Melbourne City, has been involved in professional football for more than 20 years.
"I have been to a World Cup and seen a lot," he said. "A lot of the players I came through with are now technical directors or head coaches. I have a lot of knowledge I can tap into.
"Last year, I did a tour through Holland and England and visited academies at Liverpool, Manchester City and AZ Alkmaar and spoke with their technical directors. With all the baggage I have, I want to implement that within the structures in Northern NSW and the landscape that is already here."
Jets executive chairman Shane Mattiske said they were fortunate to have someone of Jalien's pedigree in the role.
"Not only has he gained that experience on the field, he has done a lot of work off the field," Mattiske said. "We see having a really strong academy as being important to the club and the community. We are in a unique position where we are running a boys and girls academy. We are the only A-League team doing that.
"It is a critical role. There is a lot that sits under Kew's leadership. He also has the broader responsibility across the community with Northern NSW."
Northern NSW boss David Eland said it was logical to have one person oversee junior football in the region.
"Our role within player development has been redefined by the [introduction] of A-League academies," Eland said. "The point of the programs that we run is to identify the very best boys and girls at club football and hopefully transition them to the Jets academy.
"It made sense to us to have someone who oversaw the Jets academy and what we were doing. The integration will be better than it has ever been before. Those next tier of kids are going to be constantly monitored throughout the year."
