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Why Wollongong Wolves need a big crowd on Wednesday

7th August, 2016
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Is it time for the Illawarra to get some A-League action? They have a good stadium. WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
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7th August, 2016
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Wollongong Wolves might have failed in their bid to sign Ronaldinho, but they can still send a message by selling out their FFA Cup tie against Sydney FC.

Peruse any online football forum in Australia and you’re bound to encounter a particular type of fan who insists that certain former National Soccer League clubs are ‘bigger’ than their A-League counterparts.

My question to such fans is a simple one. Why don’t ex-NSL clubs sell out their State League games?

I’m not trying to be disingenuous. I genuinely would like to know why clubs that once played in the top tier of Australian football no longer play in front of capacity crowds.

Because if clubs are trying to prove that they deserve to be considered for a place in the A-League, surely one of the simplest ways to do it is by regularly playing in front of big crowds?

With that in mind, two-time national champions Wollongong Wolves would do well to try and sell as many tickets as possible for their FFA Cup clash with Sydney FC on Wednesday night.

Coached by former Sydney FC defender Jacob Timpano, the Wolves made headlines last week when it was announced they were chasing former Brazil international Ronaldinho for the match.

It’s probably a blessing in disguise that Ronaldinho turned down a reputed $100,000 pay cheque – the bloke is a washed-up has-been who was booed by his own fans at his last club Fluminense.

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And with Sydney FC likely to bring a sizeable contingent of travelling supporters down to the picturesque WIN Stadium, hopefully the Wolves will enjoy a bumper crowd even without the flashy Brazilian.

It’s hard to know what to make of these one-off guest signings.

On the one hand clubs should be applauded for thinking outside the box and trying to generate some more mainstream appeal.

On the other hand, surely all these guest players do is disrupt the harmony of the team, not to mention rob a home-grown player of the chance to star on the big stage?

Football Federation Australia might also need to start being a bit clearer about what constitutes an acceptable guest player, after Green Gully were denied the chance to sign Ante Covic last week to cover for the suspended Rani Dowisha.

More importantly though, a televised Cup clash gives the city of Wollongong the chance to remind FFA officials of just how much they love the sport.

This is a club, it’s worth remembering, that was wound up amid financial turmoil in 2008 and which, having been forced to leave Brandon Park in 2002, was effectively homeless just two years ago.

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I don’t seriously believe the Wolves will go close to selling out their borrowed home ground for the visit of the Sky Blues.

Even allowing for the travelling army of away fans set to pack trains on the South Coast Line, the Wolves will do well to draw a five-figure crowd for the match – double what they got against the Central Coast Mariners in the inaugural edition of the FFA Cup in 2014.

And with Timpano’s men fighting to stave off relegation from the top tier of the NSW Premier League, it’s not like local fans have had much to cheer about this season.

But we hear a lot about football’s potential in this country.

And sometimes those who talk vociferously about the mainstream media conspiring to keep football down, are also the first to make excuses when the round-ball game lets a golden opportunity slip.

Wouldn’t it be nice if, just like the 11,000-strong crowd that watched Kostas Katsouranos go around for Heidelberg United in last year’s quarter-final, there was another big attendance at WIN Stadium?

The A-League can’t go on as a ten-team competition forever.

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If Wollongong ever wanted to make a case for expansion, now is the time.

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