Celtic midfielder Jackson Irvine has heaped praise on the A-League.
The 20-year old Australian youth international, who is on loan at Kilmarnock, feels the domestic competition in his homeland is on the rise mainly due to the quality of younger players down under.
"I grew up as a mad Melbourne Victory fan. My grand-dad is a season ticket holder there and I used to go every year. So I grew up watching the A-League," Irvine told au.fourfourtwo.com.
"And the main thing I've noticed is the young players that are coming through. In the A-League a lot of these young players are making up the core of the teams.
"And I think that's fantastic to see that young players in Australia can be handed such a chance to go and play every week and develop."
He added: "You've got to have trust in your players and as soon as you feel the manager has faith in you it automatically gives you confidence in yourself when you go out and play.
"The A-League will grow even more as more young players keep getting a chance to come through and play every week."
