A-League champions Mariners and Sydney coming to play in Wollongong

The match will be played on August 13 at 3pm and will act as a curtain raiser to the Wolves match against Sydney Olympic in the NPL - played at 5:45pm.

The Mariners are coached by former Wolves player Nick Montgomery - who recently heaped plenty of praise on David Carney's NPL team for the way they had conducted their business in 2023.

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Shellharbour's Joel King is a real shot for an appearance for Sydney in the match as both teams ramp up their pre-season workload in preparation for the A-League season in October.

Sydney also have Stanwell Park's Gus Hoefsloot and Dapto's Zac De Jesus in their extended squad.

Sydney coach Steve Corica was pleased the match was confirmed for Wollongong.

"We always get great support whenever we play in Wollongong and this game is a perfect time for us at 3pm."

It should be a well attended match, with Sydney FC's active supporter base 'The Cove' coming down in droves to Wollongong for their recent match against the Wolves in the NPL, drawing a crowd of close to 2,500.

The Australia Cup sees the best 32 teams from all over the country in the professional A-League as well as the semi-professional NPL leagues take on each other in knockout games.

It provides plenty of opportunities for amateur players to take on professionals in 'David vs Goliath' battles. In the past, the Wolves have played both Sydney FC - where their now coach Carney scored for the sky blues on that evening - and the Mariners in the competition.

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Last year, NSW NPL club Sydney United made history by becoming the first semi-pro team to make the final, where they lost to Macarthur.

Wollongong Wolves U-20s also play in the evening at 7.45pm.