Football Federation Australia is reported to be considering a push from clubs, led by Adelaide, to scrap the 23-man squad limit from next season.

If implemented, clubs would be free to sign as many players as they liked, so long as they stayed under the salary cap, which will rise by CPI next season from the present $2.406million.

The move would give clubs greater flexibility in compiling their playing list and could open the door for a host of State League players to be signed at the lower end of the wage scale.

FFA is likely to reduce the number of overseas players from five to four next season in the first major changes since the inception of the league in 2005.

Both topics are expected to be on the agenda at the meeting of owners and chief executive officers at the end of the season.

Middleby said the Jets’ preference was to retain the status quo.

‘‘We believe the current conditions should remain,’’ he said. ‘‘We have put an emphasis on developing and bringing up our youth players and would rather promote from within than dip into the State League.

‘‘I can understand where some clubs might be coming from. In the past with injury waivers, clubs have looked at bringing in a player from the State League.

‘‘The first port of call should be your youth team.’’

Taylor Regan, Jacob Pepper, Sam Gallaway, James Virgili, Mario Simic and Jack Duncan have come through the Jets youth system in the past two seasons. They followed Ben Kantarovski, Jobe Wheelhouse and Ben Kennedy.

‘‘Look what has happened with Taylor Regan and Jacob Pepper,’’ Middleby said.

‘‘We have a youth team and regard them as the future.

‘‘Especially with how hard we have worked on getting our youth team playing during winter [in the Northern NSW State League] as a 12-month program.

‘‘We are the only A-League club doing that.’’