SOUTH Coast Wolves have taken another step towards locking WIN Stadium in as their long-term home by penning a new one-year deal to play at the venue in 2015.

Wolves chairman Andrew Byron signed an agreement with WIN Stadium on Monday to hold all next season’s home games at the seaside arena.

It’s a similar contract to the one drawn up at the start of this year, which saw the NSW Premier League club play the majority of home games at the Wollongong venue.

Byron joked that the Wolves would have liked to have signed a longer deal.

‘‘We would have liked it to be a 10-year deal, but one year is a good start,’’ Byron said with a laugh after announcing the new agreement at a press conference inside WIN Stadium.

The Wolves flirted with WIN Stadium in 2002 when they were forced out of their home at Brandon Park.

The affiliation didn’t last long, and the club has since spent time based at Crehan Park in Cringila, Macedonia Park at Berkeley, and Wetherall Park at Primbee.

It wasn’t until this year they made a solid move to lock WIN Stadium down as the home of the Wolves.

They will continue to share the venue with NRL club St George Illawarra.

WIN Stadium general manager Stuart Barnes is thrilled with the new agreement.

‘‘I think it’s extremely important in our world at Venues NSW that we keep the Wolves high-profile with our ministers and with government, and continue the program of acquiring football (for WIN Stadium),’’ Barnes said.

‘‘In the time I’ve been here this is probably one of the most exciting periods for football in this region.

‘‘It’s an  exciting 2015 for WIN Stadium, most of all because we welcome our first ever A-League game, Sydney FC playing Newcastle on January 3.

‘‘We really do hope that the community will come out and support that game.’’

Byron believes a permanent move to WIN Stadium will bolster the Illawarra’s push for an A-League team, providing local football fans throw their support behind home games.

The Wolves are striving to grow their fan base for the 2015 season and have introduced $10 memberships in an attempt to attract new financial supporters.

‘‘We hope to engage the people in the brand, and it’s as simple as $10 to get started,’’ Byron said.

‘‘We’ve been working hard in 2014 to make 2015 a huge success.

‘‘By working with Football South Coast and obviously Australia’s number one regional sporting venue (WIN Stadium), we want to continue to bring top-class football to the Illawarra in 2015.’’