Michael O'Neill believes the Irish League will always play a crucial role in developing future Northern Ireland players.
A number of young stars have made the leap into full-time football in recent years after plying their trade in the domestic Premiership.
Trai Hume earned his stripes with Ballymena United and Linfield before sealing a move to Sunderland, while Kofi Balmer played over 100 top flight games here before signing for Crystal Palace.