No two pathways into professional football look the same. Honest stories for young players, parents and coaches.

Every Monday, host Jan Schmidt sits down with professional footballers, coaches and people building full-time careers in the game, and goes back to where it started: the first touch, the first rejection, the sacrifices nobody posts about, and the moment it turned professional.

Marcus Younis lost two years to injury between 14 and 16, then went on to the A-League and PSV Eindhoven. Daniel Georgievski played Champions League nights against Chelsea with Dinamo Zagreb. Football Ferns goalkeeper Erin Nayler shares a decade as a professional abroad. Zac Sapsford went from the NPL at Hakoah to walking out at Celtic Park with Dundee United. Kealey Adamson went from NPL 2 to a contract at QPR. Brody Sams reached the NWSL as a goalkeeper coach without ever playing professionally. Daniel Cappellaro turned futsal into a career that took him to the UEFA Futsal Cup and into FIFA Street. Dario Vidosic stopped making Queensland teams as a teenager, then played in the Bundesliga with Nürnberg. And Socceroo John Iredale left Sydney FC at 17 for Heerenveen, played alongside Omar Marmoush at Wolfsburg, and is now scoring goals in South Korea's K League 1.

For players: hear how professionals handled being cut, injured, overlooked or homesick, and what they would do differently if they were your age again.

For parents: understand the real pathway beyond the highlight reels, from NPL and A-League academies to trials overseas, and learn how to support your child through every high and low.

For coaches: get honest insight into what academies look for, how players develop, and what Australian football can learn from Germany, the Netherlands, Asia and the US.

Also on the show: Will Kennedy, Nicolai Müller, Joshua Laws, Kiara De Domizio, Alexander Fuchs, Lloyd Owusu, Claudio Fabiano, Sammy Iredale, Daniel Solsky and UBF.

New episodes every Monday. Follow the show so you never miss one, and share it with one player or parent on the journey.

Every episode, guest and chapter: https://www.firsttouchtofirstteam.com

Enjoy your football journey!