Some time in the next few days, Frank Lowy and Ben Buckley will board their private jet (Lowy's of course) and chart the course of action for Australian soccer until the next World Cup in 2014.

There is plenty to do, now that this World Cup has been consigned to the history books and here are what we believe are the five most pressing items for Lowy and Buckley as they touch down back in Australia.

1. Win the bid for the World Cup in 2022

Self-evident. It's the biggest game in town and while Australia's bid is strong, you have to wonder whether the cold weather in South Africa will hurt the bid. South Africa, Brazil and eight years later, Australia would mean three southern hemisphere World Cup finals out of four. Melbourne in June? Bring your mittens.

2. New Socceroo coach.

Paul Le Guen? Ricki Herbert? The decision will be made in the next month. It is one of the most important positions in Australian sport. Whether the new coach needs to be based in Ausrtralia or Europe doesn't matter, but they have to be across the A-League and play a role in growing the sport. The new coach needs to be a figurehead for Australian soccer because the star players themselves are rarely in the country.

3. Asian Cup finals

Being held in January 2011, which is a tricky time to make a splash in Australia. Those who aren't watching the tennis are on holidays. And what will the approach be? Will it be a last hurrah for many of the older Socceroos, say Mark Schwarzer and Harry Kewell and perhaps even Lucas Neill, or will it be the start of the build-up to qualifying for Brazil in four years with a team made up of players who will be there for the journey?

4. The A League

The domestic league needs some work. Some of the crowds late last season resembled those of the old NSL. North Queensland and Gold Coast are close to basket cases. Can Queensland support three teams? Is there a future on the Gold Coast with the AFL entering the market next year? Melbourne gets a second team this season and a new team in Sydney is 12 months away. Both must succeed.

5. Game development

It's game on, particularly in southeast Queensland and the west of Sydney, where the AFL is going hard at those with a soccer background. Having a national team that makes it to the final 16 of the Worrld Cup or even better is the best marketing hook of all. The FFA won't have that ace up its sleeve.