The Wollongong Wolves will take the next step in their goal to unite the Illawarra community when they play their first home game of the season on Friday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The club will throw open the gates at WIN Stadium in a bid to attract a large crowd for the clash with Sydney FC and raise funds for the east coast flood disaster.
Entry will be by gold coin donation, with CEO Strebre Delovski hoping to see the region support Australians who are going through hard times.
"A lot of people out there are doing it tough," Delovski said. "This is the way we can support that. A lot of people are helping out, this is the way we can support it. Also for our community, if we can get people through the gates, it will help the cause and they will be able to come watch their community club, the Wolves."
"We want to reconnect with the local community, this is the start of that. By having free entry, hopefully the community can come out and support the Wolves and the fundraiser."
The Wolves have returned to WIN Stadium for the 2022 season after two years at spiritual home Albert Butler Park due to COVID-related reasons.
It's expensive, but as the top football team in the Illawarra, club officials feel it is important to play at the best venue in the region.
The majority of home games this year will be played on Friday nights, the Wolves attempting to find clear air in a busy sporting schedule.
Whereas football fans are busy with their own club commitments on a Saturday or Sunday, the Wolves are hopeful the community will turn out in force to watch Wollongong's only men's NSW NPL1 team.
"We're playing in the top competition in the state," Delovski said. "It's a very strong competition and we want to win the league, there's no secret there. Any bit of support we can get from the community is vital.
"We're not just a club in the NPL, we're fundamentally part of the community and represent the Illawarra as the single team in the region. Hopefully the community can come out and support us in achieving those goals."
The players are excited to return to WIN Stadium and are looking forward to making Friday night the time the Wolves take centre-stage.
Wollongong enter the game on the back of a dominant 4-0 victory over Northbridge and they're eager to produce another high-scoring, entertaining performance.
"We want people in the region to know on a Friday night the Wolves are playing," coach Luke Wilkshire said. "We want to bring a crowd in and to have the whole community to be part of this team. We want this team to be one the region's proud of."
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Subscribe to our newsletters
Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
