The western Sydney AFL club-in-waiting will follow the path taken by the Gold Coast and join the TAC Cup under 18 competition next season.

Gold Coast played in that competition this year and will next season graduate to the VFL ahead of entering the AFL in 2011.

The western Sydney club will enter the AFL a year later.

AFL development manager David Matthews said the under 18s competition had worked well for the Gold Coast.

"To enter and develop a team of talented youngsters has been beneficial for the Gold Coast Football Club in terms of fast-tracking talent and developing a base culture from which to build upon," Matthews said.

"We think that such a pathway will also play a vital role in the (western Sydney) campaign."

The team will be coached next year by their high performance manager Alan McConnell, the former AIS/AFL Academy and Fitzroy coach.

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