The Breakers are among four Community League teams to be promoted for Football South Coast's revamped pre-season competition, which begins on Wednesday night. It is the first time that Community League sides have been invited to compete in the District League's conference.

2021 shapes as a big year for Gerringong. The side claimed the title double last year, but were denied a promotion to District League due to the impact of COVID.

Lockard hopes they back that effort up this season, starting with a solid Frat Cup performance. "We're happy to be there, I think it is a good chance to show how good our squad is," he said.

"However, I am a little concerned that we're a bit behind because we didn't start [pre-season training] as early as most of the District League clubs. We understand that we're going to behind some of the teams but it's a good start. We've also got a gap between the Frat Cup and the start of the season, so it's going to be hard work to keep the boys going all the way through that long period. If it was closer to our season, it would be a lot handier. But we're happy to be involved.

"It will be a good test and it will be a good chance for a lot of our younger players to see the level we've got to be at, for when we eventually do get to the District League. It will show them something to work towards, for sure."

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Joining Gerringong in the Frat Cup will be fellow Community League sides Albion Park City, Dandaloo and Port Kembla Pumas. For City, the comp provides them a chance to test their skills against some strong teams.

"It's super exciting for the club and the boys. The club is fairly young but they've got some big ambitions. And they're hoping to create a few upsets along the way," City coach Daniel Garcia said.

"We'll be playing the best team that we can field for the competition. It is a pre-season Cup, but we will be taking it as serious as we can. It's a fantastic opportunity to test us before we really get into the season. Our competition is pretty tough, but this is a level above. And it will be a good opportunity to test themselves. A lot of the team have played at this level before, but it's just a matter of seeing if we can still match if with these guys."

City are looking to build on an improved 2020 effort, which saw them reach the Community League finals. The Cup will be among a logjam of pre-season events that City will take part in as they prepare for a big 2021 campaign.

"We've got the Frat Cup, we've got another amateur league competition, we're involved in the FFA Cup, we've already had a couple friendlies," Garcia said.

"We're probably doing a lot more than some of the other amateur league teams are doing this pre-season."

The Cup will kick off on Wednesday night with two games at JJ Kelly Park. City takes on Thirroul Thunder, while Illawarra Premier League sides Coniston and Tarrawanna will also meet.