The news Canberra and Auckland are the next two cities slated to have teams play in an expanded 2024-25 A-League competition is sure to have disappointed Wollongong Wolves fans.
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But the club's chief executive officer Strebre Delovski remains confident the Wolves will get back to where it belongs and play at the highest levels in the country.
While the Wolves missed out on the latest A-Leagues expansion round, they still remain in contention for future promotion, with the Australian Professional Leagues confirming that another two teams will be added by 2026.
"They [APL] have mentioned Wollongong, so we are in the mix," Delovski said.
"There is a lot going on at the moment with the national second division and now the A-League has come out with its expansion plans.
"Wollongong needs to be there. Wollongong deserves representation at the highest level, whether that is A-League or national second division we will push as hard as we can to get there."
Wollongong needs to be there. Wollongong deserves representation at the highest level, whether that is A-League or national second division we will push as hard as we can to get there.
- Wollongong Wolves CEO Strebre Delovski
The APL announced on Wednesday that Canberra and Auckland were locked in as expansion locations for the top flight, with officials to work over the next three months to secure financial backing before the 2024-25 competition.
The announcement did not surprise Delovski.
"It was expected. Canberra just missed out last time, so it is not a huge surprise they were selected," Delovski said.
"They will be probably granted a provisional license but it still doesn't guarantee them to come in, there is still a lot of work to do before they come in the league."
Delovski warned there was also a lot of hard work for the Wolves still to do if the club was serious about playing in the A-League.
"As a region, as the city of Wollongong, if we really want this we have all got to work together to make sure it happens, it is as simple as that," he said.
"The question is whether Wollongong Wolves find their own backer, consortium or other interests.
"Wollongong is always an attractive place, not only for sport but for tourism and everything else so it makes sense that Wollongong Wolves is being considered.
"Everyone is expecting Wollongong Wolves to be there, so it is just a matter of working through all the details and it works the same for the national second division as well."
The expansion announcement comes less than a fortnight after the Wolves formally submitted their expression of interest to be included in Football Australia's proposed 'National Second Tier' competition.
The expression was part of Delovski's goal to return the Wolves back to the national stage, a campaign that the Illawarra club has pushed hard for in recent years.
"Obviously it would be amazing to get Wollongong back to the A-League sooner rather than later. It deserves to be at the highest competition in the country," he said.
"However things aren't that easy and it is up to the whole region, including government, tourism and education sectors to come on board and make this thing happen.
"I've been communicating with the A-League now for some time just to ensure Wollongong is not forgotten. The Wolves will do everything in its power to be represented in any of those competitions."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
