Goalkeeper Ante Covic of Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers celebrates winning their second-leg soccer match of the Asian Champions League final against Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh November 1, 2014. [Phtoo/Agencies]

Growing success from the grassroots

Sowing sporting seeds of growth

The Wanderers campaign has attracted increasing attention this season, and has been all the more impressive given the fact that A-League teams operate under an annual salary cap of 2.5 million Australian dollars ($2.2 million) that covers the entire squad except two `marquee' players who can be paid outside the cap.

The highlight for Australian clubs previously was Adelaide United's run to the final in 2008 before a comprehensive loss to Gamba Osaka.

The Wanderers weren't about to get stage fright.

After topping its group including 2012 Asian title holder Ulsan Horangi in its debut appearance in the Asian Champions League, the Western Sydney team had three tough encounters in the knockout stage.

The Wanderers beat Japanese champion Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the second round, eliminated a star-studded Guangzhou Evergrande squad, the reigning Asian champion that is guided by World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, at the quarterfinal stage. They booked a place in the final with a semifinal victory over 2013 finalist FC Seoul.

"It is still a little surreal for me as a coach," Popovic said. "For me, I am just proud for these players and our club. The first time in the competition, to win it, I think in the future we will really understand how special this run has been and how it was to win this title.

"We don't have the resources or the funds that some of these other teams have, but we have something that money can't buy, the desire to win, the resilience to play for each other and do anything they can to win, no money can buy that and that's what these players have in abundance."