Wolves bid vital to securing junior pathways for local players

It’s important for football fans in the region to know the governing body supports a standalone Wollongong Wolves bid and we’re all working together to make it happen.

Crucially, it’s not just Football South Coast who are supportive of the bid, but associations in Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla, Far South Coast, Highlands and the Southern Tablelands. With this support, the Wolves can be representative of not just the Illawarra, but regions throughout the south coast. 

Securing an A-League licence is crucial for developing junior pathways in the Illawarra and the south coast. 

The grassroots are a vital aspect of the A-League bids and with these formalised partnerships, the Wolves will be able to provide a clear path from junior football all the way up to the professional level. 

Currently, kids are forced to travel up to Sydney in order to access these elite opportunities and that’s not feasible for many juniors.

When I was growing up, Adam Federici would drive from Jervis Bay up to Wollongong and then one of our parents would drive us up to the NSW Institute of Sport to train three to four times a week, before driving us back home.

We were fortunate enough to have parents who were willing and able to drive us up to Sydney regularly and Adam has gone on to achieve considerable success in his career, but many players are not so fortunate. 

If the Wolves are successful in the bid, it will provide children from the Illawarra and down the coast with the opportunity to pursue a career in football without having to move away. 

This is where having Luke Wilkshire on board in an official capacity will also boost the bid. He is another local junior who was forced to travel up to Sydney for training and one of his driving factors for returning to the club is to help provide kids with the opportunity to forge a professional career in their own backyard. 

It’s not something that juniors have been able to do since the National Soccer League and we’re all extremely passionate about making it a reality. 

The guys are all feeling refreshed both mentally and physically after a week off and we’re ready for a difficult assignment at WIN Stadium on Saturday night. 

There is no tougher team in the competition to face right now than APIA Leichhardt. 

Former Wolf Jordan Murray has been on fire for the Tigers lately so the key for us is to shut him down,  but the boys are definitely up for the challenge.