Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League decider is believed to be a "massive shot in the arm" for the football club's Illawarra connection.
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In a surprise outcome, Premier League powers Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will now meet in the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1.
It's set to be a timely boost for the partnership between the University of Wollongong and Tottenham.
The EPL heavyweight has teamed up with the university to launch a five-year player development program, as well as offer a suite of scholarships - worth half a million dollars - specifically for Illawarra students.
The UOW Tottenham Hotspur Global Football Program, announced at a dinner event in March, will see two FA and UEFA-qualified Tottenham Hotspur coaches train UOW students.
UOW Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Strategy), Professor Alex Frino, a football fanatic, visited England earlier this week.
"I was at Tottenham, although not at the semi-final," he said.
"It was an amazing match; one of the most amazing matches I've ever seen, which is why everyone in the football world went crazy."
He met with Tottenham executives at White Hart Lane stadium to discuss the program details.
Prof Frino said during the meeting they primarily discussed program application numbers, which he said are in the three digits and "have blown us away in terms of interest".
"We've been inundated with applications, and we haven't started promoting the program off-shore yet.
"We are targeting four squads of 15 for the program - one women's squad and three men's."
Prof Frino said they also discussed how they were going to promote the Tottenham/UOW development program in July, when Tottenham plays friendlies against Juventus and Manchester United in Singapore and China.
"Wollongong's name is now closely connected to Tottenham," Prof Frino said.
"So the Champions result, which caught the soccer world by surprise... Given the enormous media coverage is a massive shot in the arm for our campaign."
The academy is scheduled to kick off on March 1, 2020.
Students will train up to 20 hours per week over a 36-week period during the academic year.
Australian and international students who enrol in any undergraduate or postgraduate degree at UOW, or at UOW College Australia, will be eligible to take part.
Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
