Despite these difficulties, and after years of struggle on the field, the Dapto City Australian Football Club are enjoying success in 2019.

However, club officials say they could start losing players to other AFL clubs if they don't have a home ground of their own built in the West Dapto area.

Read more: Push for female change rooms at Wollongong sports grounds

"It looks like we will be playing finals football in the men's and women's division," club volunteer Jon Cleverly said.

"But we have been doing this with a makeshift field at Berkeley's Fred Finch Park, where we cart barrels of water so the players and officials can cool down."

Club officials say Wollongong council has promised for years to build the club a home ground in Dapto.

Club president Schell Yates and husband Brad launched the club, who played their first season in the AFL South Coast competition in 2015.

They've since fielded a team in the women's league, which was established last year.

Mrs Yates said it had been a "frustrating" process to operate without sufficient playing facilities.

"In 2014, we put the business review through for the league, but we were basing it off a Wollongong City Council document of recreational grounds that were going to be developed," she said.

"That would be where the Sanctuary Views housing development at Kembla Grange is - in the town centre (plans) were two AFL fields.

"And at that point it was supposed to be developed by 2017... We're in 2019 and it still isn't even close.

"(Their current ground) is just a patch of grass with the eight posts in it.

"We don't have a water supply or toilets, and we pay the same amount as every other club for use of Wollongong City Council grounds."

Mrs Yates said they feared they would lose players to rival clubs if their facilities didn't improve, especially with the recent advent of an Albion Park women's team.

"It's difficult to grow the club when you don't have a home presence," she said.

"If you're someone looking to play female football, would you go to somewhere that's got facilities and a clubhouse, or a club that can't provide those kinds of things? Especially with Albion Park just having their new field opening - we can't compete with those state-of-the-art facilities."

A Wollongong council spokesperson said council is proposing to develop land at West Dapto for a future sports park, which could include two AFL/cricket grounds and passive recreation.

"As planned for in the Section 94 Plan, the works are proposed for the 2020/2021 to 2025/2026 financial years," the spokesperson said.