AIS/AFL Academy high performance coach Alan McConnell believes the current group of scholarship holders could turn out to be one of the program's best.

While still early in these young footballers' development, McConnell – who is in his fourth year overseeing the Academy – has liked what he has seen from the 2007 intake.

The AIS/AFL Academy is now in its 11^th year and has so far proved the ultimate breeding ground for elite footballing talent.

"In our most recent draft 13 of the first 14 boys selected were graduates of the AIS Academy from the last two years," McConnell said.

"Currently AFL lists comprise 22 per cent of boys who have at some point been through the AIS AFL Academy, so we're heading towards having had a quarter of AFL lists having been given the opportunity that this program provides and we believe it's fantastic grooming for them to prepare them for what lies ahead.

"And even if they [the graduates] don't make AFL football, it's certainly given them the opportunity of a lifetime."

This year high-profile ex-players Nathan Buckley and Luke Darcy have joined the coaching panel, adding further impetus to a program that already boasted Michael Voss and Jason McCartney as headline acts.

McConnell said his 'Fab Four' coaching line-up wasn't merely involved to add extra sparkle to the program, with each spending considerable time giving feedback to the emerging guns.

"Over the next 12 months they'll [the coaches] be in weekly or fortnightly contact with the boys," McConnell said.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for young boys to be mentored and have intimate contact with the greats of our game.

"I guess the key is we're not looking for them [the boys] to just have a small engagement with the coaches but to know them well enough to not only understand who they are, but why they've been able to be such great people in our game."

Each year 30 of Australia's most promising juniors are involved in camps – such as the one run in Canberra this week – and participate in a trip overseas. They also have access to the best facilities and coaching techniques on offer.

A significant amount of time is also spent on personal development, with the aim being not only to make these future stars better players, but also better individuals.

"Really, it's all about life as an AFL footballer and what it's like to embrace life as a professional sportsman," McConnell said of the week-long camp.

"For them to be here they've either played representative football at the NAB AFL Under-16 or Under-18 National Championships.

"They're currently ineligible because of their age for the draft and obviously have excelled at that level, or alternatively they were nominated by their states, so they may have missed those championships because of injury, illness or other issues."

McConnell chairs a commission, comprising National Talent Manager, Kevin Sheehan, and various AFL recruiting managers, who rotate through that role on an annual basis.

"They assist me in selecting the boys who they believe have the best potential ultimately for AFL careers," McConnell explained.

AFL recruiters make the most of the week, coming and going at critical periods such as fitness testing and training times, and they are welcome to talk to the players.

McConnell admitted feeling a tremendous sense of pride at seeing past players go on and achieve after having worked with them in their junior careers.

And he appears equally excited about the 2007 bunch.

"We do have a fantastic group of young men who aspire to be great and it's wonderful to work with people with a goal and a vision about their future," he said.