The FFA Centre of Excellence sent a strong message to the FFA board with a first half attacking masterclass to thrash Monaro Panthers 5-0 at the AIS on Saturday.
The board met earlier in the week to discuss the future the AIS program, weighing up whether to see it through until the scheduled 2019 finish or pull the plug early and redistribute the funds.
Centre of Excellence coach Tony Vidmar believes A-League academies need more time before they are able to successfully develop players.
"Currently this is still the best program in the country to develop elite players," Vidmar said.
"At the moment A-League clubs aren't yet ready to take over all the programs, so while they're still in progress we feel this should continue on.
"There is still a place for us to be here, we see the players in the program growing and they move on to better and brighter things so I think until all the A-league clubs are up and running with their academies they'd be making a mistake to close us down."
The argument for shutting the academy is that FFA spend too much on developing 24 players, but Vidmar said the program's reach goes beyond that number.
"Everyone talks about spending a lot of money on 24 players but it's more than that, in the last intake we actually had 80 players come through with the camps and I think that's been neglected," Vidmar said.
Academy skipper Joel King arrived in Canberra from the Shellharbour and said the program has done wonders for his budding career.
"Playing at club level to here is a big difference with all the coaching and facilities and everything, it's a big step up," King said.
"Hopefully I can get a professional youth or A-League contract and there is everything here for me to achieve that goal, so I wouldn't want to see it go."
The Panthers were no match for the red-hot academy side who broke inside the box at will in the opening 45 minutes through strikers Mirza Muratovic and Charlie Mavros Jnr.
Monaro showed some fight in the second half and kept the complacent academy side to a scoreless draw but the damage had well and truly been done.
In other matches Woden Weston drew with the Riverina Rhinos 2-2, while Canberra FC defeated Belconnen United 4-2 thanks to braces from Dom Giampaolo and Tom James.
AT A GLANCE
FFA Centre of Excellence 5 (M Muratovic 6', B Bafford 11', M Mavros Jnr 20' 34', K Trewin 40') bt Monaro Panthers 0
Canberra FC 4 (Dom Giampaolo, Tom James) bt Belconnen United 2 (Taylor Beaton, Jason Urgrinic)
Woden Weston 2 drew Riverina Panthers 2
