No, it's not a friendly designed to help the Sky Blues prepare for the upcoming A-League season. Instead, it's a regular season A-League clash between two fierce rivals.

That prospect may seem a fair way off, but it's the goal everyone at the Wollongong Wolves is working towards and it's hoped Wednesday's match between the two sides will be the latest step forward in the club's winding journey to the A-League.

"I want to see the club going to the A-League," Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire said. "This is a great opportunity for the club and the region as a whole to show the people of Australia what is here in Wollongong in terms of quality within the team and the support that we can bring."

After a brief stint with Sydney FC, Wilkshire arrived at the Wolves last May in the eye of the A-League expansion storm.

With the club locked in a battle for one of two new licenses on offer, the Albion Park product received an intense initiation into the world of football politics.

Ultimately the Wolves bid failed, the allure of a third Sydney-based team proving too great for Football Federation Australia.

While it may be Macarthur FC who are preparing to make their A-League debut in a year's time, Wilkshire felt there was a lot to be gained from the effort moving forward.

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At the time, a lack of on-field success was cited as a key factor in the Wolves missing out and with the club now flying high as NSW Men's National Premier League premiers, Wilkshire urged Wollongong football fans to turn out on Wednesday night and prove to the FFA that the region will support a top-flight football team.

"We need to see support," Wilkshire said. "One of the criteria they look at is the fan base, when they look at bringing in an A-League club. You look at financials and all the rest of it, the structure within the club, which we have, but it's also fan base and numbers.

"You get these sort of games against Sydney FC, that's an opportunity to go out and show we can fill WIN Stadium. That the people in this region are hungry for A-League and should A-League come here, the people will come out and back it."

With the A-League expanding to 11 teams this year and 12 next summer, talk has turned to the creation of a national second division, with the ultimate goal being promotion and relegation.

Such a competition could be introduced as soon as 2021.

That is where the Wolves look destined to make a return to national competition, but Wilkshire, and all at the club, remain hopeful of direct entry into the A-League in the coming years.

"The A-League needs to expand to a minimum 14 teams before they can even think about a second division. You look at the way it all is, the expansion of the A-League is more important than a second division.

"No doubt, there needs to be a national second division and there needs to be promotion and relegation in football, like the rest of the world.

"The goal that we need to strive for is that we are one of those next two teams to get into the A-League. There's a lot of things that need to be put in place for us to be able to do that."

Kickoff: 7pm, Wednesday August 14, WIN Stadium.

Tickets: Discounts apply for online purchases. Adults $15.24, Children $5.05, Concession, Families $30.48. Tickets available from Ticketmaster.

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