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A-League expansion: Wollongong is the right call, southern Sydney is not

23rd November, 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.
Expert
23rd November, 2016
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The FFA will release its expansion criteria early next year – giving hope to some former giants of the game that their time will come again.

I wrote a fortnight ago that tribalism is the key to successful expansion and I cited Western Sydney versus Sydney FC as the perfect example.

There is a flip side to this, and that is diluting the competition by having too many teams in one area. It’s why a third Victorian team would probably best be served in Geelong say, rather than adding a third team into the Melbourne mix. This is all the more pertinent given the two Melbourne teams aren’t geographically defined.

It’s well documented that FFA would like a “southern Sydney” team in the competition, probably taking in Kogarah, the Sutherland Shire and also Wollongong.

This idea ignores the fact that a fairly large percentage of Sydney FC’s supporter base is based in the Kogarah/Hurstville corridor (again looking at Sydney divided as east and west of Strathfield).

It also ignores the fact that a southern “super-team” would be trying to create an artificial tribalism, knitting together a bunch of suburbs over a large area.

brandon-oneill-sydney-fc-a-league-football-2016

People from the Shire may feel that insular tribalism that people from the west do, but do they share that with people from Kogarah and Carss Park?

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And do either of those groups identify with Wollongong?

Notwithstanding the fact Sydney FC are against the idea because of their existing members in “southern Sydney”, the idea of artificial tribalism and a forced passion for an area is not a good one.

It’s exactly why any additional team in NSW should be in Wollongong – and the Wolves are ready to dine at football’s top table again.

The Illawarra is a strong football region and their disconnect from the city of Sydney is a good thing in this case.

It means nobody is treading on anyone else’s toes and a proper football region would be represented in the national competition, like the Hunter.

The Illawarra, like western Sydney, is a region with a unique identity – it already exists and doesn’t need to be forced or made up like patchwork Hurstville/Sutherland Shire/Wollongong team would be.

Wollongong Wolves themselves have pedigree from the NSL days (back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001) and WIN Stadium is a great football venue, as we see when Sydney FC take games down there.

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It would be a great road trip for the other Sydney clubs’ away days and vice versa – ensuring a strong away representation in the stands and adding to that tribal feel we all crave.

For NSW at least, Wollongong is the right choice.

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