New Wolves chief executive Strebre Delovski believes football fans in the Illawarra will gain a taste of what having a team in the A-League is like in Friday night's NSW National Premier League showdown with Sydney FC.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 2000 and 2001 National Soccer League and 2019 Australian NPL knockout champions have thrown the gates open and offered free tickets for their first home game of the new season, against the Sky Blues development squad.
It's part of a special fundraising night for those hit by flooding on the NSW South Coast.
But it's also the next step in showcasing their plans to be part of an A-League expansion, as they push to unite the Illawarra behind their cause.
"It's a great opportunity for football fans," he said.
"We want to make a really strong statement and a message to local government and other key stakeholders.
"We're optimistic the door to A-League expansion is still open, the sleeping giant is waking and the only way for that to happen is to have everyone in the Illawarra behind us."
In a key sign to a new era with Football South Coast, Friday night's Illawarra Premier League clash between Albion Park and Wollongong Olympic has been moved to Sunday afternoon.
The Wolves are asking for donations to be made to the flooding appeal at the ground after receiving the free tickets.
It comes as the Wolves aim to build on their 4-nil victory over Northbridge Bulls, the Macarthur NPL development squad.
"How many high level games do you get free entry for?" Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire said.
"We want to make a statement in the competition and build some momentum in our first game at home.
"You know what to expect with Sydney FC, they're lively, young players and always technically good and we'll be prepared for that.
"It's a huge credit to Tory Lavalle and (major sponsor) MCR to put a night like this on and will be great to play in front of a big crowd."
While the Wolves are an attacking threat with the likes of Lachlan Scott and Peter Simonoski, Wilkshire said the Wolves needed to match Sydney FC's intensity.
"We keep the ball reasonably well," he said. "But there's more we can do in terms of our press and our work rate off the ball, so we'll keep working hard there."
NSW NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE
Round three
Friday
WOLLONGONG WOLVES v SYDNEY FC
WIN Stadium (7.30pm)
Under 20s (5.30pm)
- Tickets free at the ground, under 16s need to be with supervised adult.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Sign up to our newsletters
Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
