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Wollongong fails to impress in A-League expansion test

19th September, 2013
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David Gallop will remain the FFA's CEO until the end of 2018. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
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19th September, 2013
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On a cold and breezy night at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium, Sydney FC hosted the Newcastle Jets in a trial as preparations ramp up for season nine of the A-League. The Jets took the game 1-0 thanks to a 53rd minute strike from James Virgili.

This was a trial for the two teams as much as it was for the Wollongong area. No doubt the FFA were keen to see how the people of Wollongong would respond to some rare A-League football on the South Coast in light of possible expansion in the seasons to come.

The crowd of 6,500 was fair without being impressive. The game was marketed around Del Piero, which is understandable, the fact that he didn’t play may have drawn the ire of some spectators who turned up to see his silky skills. He was, however, good enough to be there to answer a few questions and address the thrilled crowd which shows the class of the Italian superstar.

While Del Piero was the ultimate drawcard, there could have been more focus put on the local talent which was on display for the two clubs.

Newcastle skipper Ruben Zadkovich played his football in the Illawarra before heading overseas to pursue a career. He is now a huge part of the Newcastle Jets set up and had arguably his best season last year.

Matt Jurman, who played his junior football at local club Dapto and now, in his second stint at Sydney FC, is looking to cement a permanent starting spot in the season.

Corey Gameiro, a new signing for Sydney FC, is another local product who didn’t play on Saturday but could’ve been used to promote the game. Particularly, as he expressed his interest to play for a Wollongong based A-League club in the lead up to the game.

These three are great examples for Illawarra juniors to show that it is possible to come from the area and have a career in football.

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With some more promotion based around these three who have made it, Saturday night’s crowd could have pushed up closer to 10,000. This would’ve really made the FFA stand up and think seriously about granting a Wollongong based team an A-League licence.

Wollongong had a fantastic opportunity on Saturday night to vote with their feet and show that they are a viable option should the A-League look to expand in the next couple of years. An opportunity that they let slip through their fingers.

The A-League is set to have its best season yet with squads having more depth and the National Youth League creating more quality players. These players can now come through the system and earn professional contracts if they’re good enough to cut it at A-League level.

As squads get stronger and more quality players are getting limited game time, the A-League will have to start looking at an 11th and 12th team. The questions is, where do they go?

Potential locations for A-League clubs that have been thrown up in the past include Canberra, Tasmania, Geelong and Wollongong. North Queensland and the Gold Coast are still options, although, the first attempts to have clubs in those areas didn’t end well.

When CEO of the FFA, David Gallop, was questioned about expansion for the A-League earlier this year, he said that there were no immediate plans to add to the ten team competition.

There are so many boxes ticked already for a Wollongong A-League club. They’ve got strong grassroots which have produced several Socceroos over the years, including Scott Chipperfield and Luke Wilkshire. A purpose built stadium with an immaculate playing surface that is only used half a dozen times a year.

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They have very little competition for memberships, on a national level the region has half an NRL team and an NBL team that always struggles to draw a crowd. With some financial backing and a community model that would engage the people, Wollongong has the potential to be an A-League success if given the chance.

So a message to the football lovers of Wollongong, and for any region who pines for an A-League club to represent them.

The next time an A-League game comes to your town, get out there and support it. Because as much as every club needs to meet several criteria before they are granted an A-League licence, what the FFA really wants to know is whether the club will be supported by their town. If the club is well supported then everything else will fall into place.

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