Local team local players

SYDNEY FC are set to dip into the Asian market next season for the first time, with chairman Andrew Kemeny admitting Newcastle Jets' lively South Korean midfielder, Song Jin-hyung, was "just the type of foreigner we're looking for".

Football Federation Australia has announced the import quota for next season will increase from four to five players to compensate for impending expansion, and even clubs like Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners - who have historically shied away from foreigners - are likely to step up their overseas recruiting to remain competitive.

Of particular interest is the Asian market, which has largely been ignored by A-League clubs but which is set to grow dramatically on the back of the shop window the Asian Champions League has provided.

The situation is also likely to work in reverse with cashed-up Japanese clubs - each allowed one player from another Asian Football Confederation country, starting next season - turning their eyes to the A-League.

Adelaide United skipper Travis Dodd (Kashima Antlers) and Newcastle Jets skipper Jade North (Urawa Red Diamonds) have already been linked to moves to Japan, while two other Japanese clubs, Kyoto Sanga and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, will be scouting for goalkeepers in the next few weeks, with Clint Bolton (Sydney FC) and Ante Covic (Newcastle Jets) on their radar.

And while the A-League currently boasts only three Asian players - South Korean duo Song and Hyuk Su-Seo (Queensland Roar) and Chinese winger Leilei Gao (Wellington Phoenix) - an influx is also on the way.

Mining magnate Clive Palmer, who will bankroll newcomers Gold Coast United, has already made it clear he wants at least one high-profile Chinese player to help promote his business interests.

Kemeny is less interested in commercial aspects and more concerned with on-field value, although he admits: "There are a lot of Asian people in Sydney who we'd like to come to our games."

But the man who signs the cheques has made it clear Sydney are keen to get at least a couple of new foreigners on their books for next season. As it stands, only Northern Irishman Terry McFlynn and American midfielder Mike Enfield are classed as visa players in John Kosmina's 23-man squad.

"As I've said before, our policy is not to focus on imports, but that's not to say we'll be ignoring them," Kemeny said. "In fact it's something we're looking at every single day. But it's a drawn-out, expensive, and very tedious business, and you have to make sure you get it right.

"Right now, we're looking outside the usual places, and Asia is something which definitely interests us. [Song] in Newcastle, he's just the type we're looking for. Maybe not a big name but the right age and the right quality to give something to the team.

"We definitely don't want to make the mistakes which have been made at this club in the past. In theory, imports are good for the A-League. In practice, only a small percentage have come up to scratch. That's why, rightly or wrongly, our policy is to develop young, local, players. That's why we're investing so much in our coaching staff."