A “football community” of 15 million, 3,000 elite players and a bid to host the 2023 women’s World Cup are all part of Football Federation Australia’s long-term vision for the game in Australia.

FFA laid out their 20-year blueprint for the sport on Tuesday. Called the Whole of Football Plan, it also includes a more grassroots approach via a redistribution of resources to community football, along with the development of academies to provide world-class coaching, eliminating the need for Australian youth to find elite development overseas.

FFA chief executive David Gallop said the aims would not be limited by the game’s current resources.

“We have a firm conviction that football’s best years are ahead of us,” Gallop said. “We know that growth will inevitably bring greater revenues and new incomes streams, enough to fund the future.”

Australia hosted and won the men’s Asian Cup in January, restoring some pride to the local game after the country’s costly bid for the men’s 2022 World Cup failed dismally and drew fierce criticism from home media.

Gallop said football’s “best years were ahead” in the country, where Australian Rules football and rugby league still rule the roost in terms of crowds and broadcast dollars.

“We know that growth will inevitably bring greater revenues and new incomes streams, enough to fund the future,” Gallop said.

The World Cup bid would help drive “women’s participation and professionalism”, said FFA which also hopes to build a base of one million club members from a population tipped to rise to 30 million over the next 20 years.

FFA also aims to nurture an elite base of 3,000 male and female juniors to bid for national and club contracts, while building better training academies for players and coaches to eliminate the need for talent to head overseas.

“The more immediate need for me is talent ID,” Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said. “The reality is that they’re out there anyway – we just don’t know them.

“Schools are the easiest way, if we can tap into that and give them better coaches in their schools. If at the age of 15 or 16 they’re getting encouragement from within our system through academies maybe there won’t be the need to go overseas.”

Key aims of FFA’s plan for the future of Australian football: