Australian Football League club St Kilda are hoping to align themselves with the likes of Barcelona and West Ham United.

The Saints are keen to develop the younger players at the club after relying heavily on more experienced players in the last decade or so and want to watch closely what the likes of Catalan giants Barcelona and East London outfit West Ham get up to with their development youth.

"In the early stages, it will be to borrow ideas and examples from overseas models," the club's head of football Chris Pelchen told The Age.

''That's what it will be from an operational and structural sense. But, certainly, the potential for our players to go over and actually spend time at these academies is something that is very much part of our thinking."

He added: "While off-field, sports have tended to concentrate on fitness or a sports science base where we can share ideas.

"And even tactically where you look at defensive presses and things like that in basketball and soccer - and we have certainly started to branch out into that influence on our game - we believe the next stage of development is really to look at overseas clubs, particularly [football], but all sports, at how they develop their own players from a very early age."

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