A LEAGUE TEAM STILL A DREAM?
It would be great if Wollongong could have a stand-alone team in the A league, but I can't see that happening for a quite a while.
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Maybe some cashed up backer will eventually come along to get us back into football's elite.
That is just the start.
The city must then justify its existence, by turning up in large numbers to watch games at WIN Stadium.
Something it didn't do when we were last in the national competition.
Football fans with short memories or those new to the region should realise that we had a team in the old NSL for 20 years from 1981.
It always struggled to attract fans.
Even in its glory years of 2000 and 2001 when we captured two premiership trophies the turnstiles weren't working overtime.
We had a brilliant team, led by local lad Matt Horsley, playing a great style of football and breaking goal-scoring records, the Wolves even won the Oceania Club Championship, but still failed to draw big crowds.
The average attendance over those two seasons was less than 4000.
The Wolves won the best ever NSL grand final in 2000 when they came back from 3-0 down against Perth Glory in front of 43,000 people.
The teams met again in the opening round in Wollongong the following season and drew a crowd of just 4011.
People like Joe Cachia, Wally Boscoscuro and other local businessmen who were paying the bills knew they were fighting a losing battle.
Fifteen years on, it sounds great to draw a reasonable crowd to a FFA Cup tie against Sydney FC, but would history repeat itself in the long term?
You have to think the likes of South Melbourne and a second club in Brisbane have more to offer. -
Phil Murphy, Cordeaux Heights
A CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM IS NEEDED
I can’t believe this politician Peter Dutton is going to crack down on 457 loopholes.
He says they have to go home after completing a contract in 60 days instead of 90 leaving even less time for them to at least spend some of our money in the country they made it.
I am confused.
Yes just another example of the Turnbull LNP government not protecting Australian workers capacity to do these jobs.
They do not provide adequate resources to police working visas regardless of whether 457/490s.
Some young journalists, those that are under 30, say Labor had the most 457 visa holders when in office.
However not one of you remember that was in the mining boom.
Until there is a change the system of abuse will continue .
Matty Ryan, Fairy Meadow
DEVELOPING THE REGION, NOT PLAYING POLITICS
Mr Devlin asks what Labor did about the Maldon-Dombarton line when in Government.
It was the Wran Labor Government that commenced the project that was subsequently cancelled by the Greiner Liberal government.
It was the Rudd Government that commissioned the feasibility study to recommence the project, it was the Gillard government that put $25.5 million in 2011 to get the engineering and design work done and it was the Rudd Government that budgeted $50 million for the project in 2013 which was subsequently canned by the Abbott Government.
Enough is enough.
If you want to get more freight off the road then completing this rail link to NSW’s 3rd largest port is critical.
It’s about developing the region not playing the politics.
Stephen Jones, MP