that is a huge issue, the Wolves should have been in the A-league around 2 seasons ago imo

Yep, SFC have played games down there and people are happy to support them. I don't see why a team that is actually associated with Wollongong wouldn't get support. Especially once it sinks it that Wolves aren't getting the spot.

It's the same argument SFC fans use... "We can get support from the whole of city, but shire and st George combined won't work." 🤔

Can the ffa finally end this expansion process facade and add this team along with Geelong as they wanted all along?

I've said it before and i'll say it again. There is no "south Sydney" identity like there is a "West Sydney" identity. Furthermore, the two areas share a pretty intense rivalry. 

Its not my fault you ignore the opinions of people who live here to suit your anti Sydney FC agenda.

Watch the expansion criteria get put as priority no. 1

They aren't targeting people with your mentality. Besides you have a team.

A third, perhaps even fourth Sydney (someday) team will work. South Sydney has infrastructure, community, geography and population. Stacking teams into capital cities isnt a bad idea as you get efficiencies with accommodation and transport and the derby effect. The only thing they shouldnt do is tie in Wollongong as it deserves its own team one day. Just play home games out of Kogarah or Shark park.

How the FFA exansion criteria works

Unfortunately the big cross mark against a Wollongong bid is that it isn't included in the 5 cities TV ratings area and delivers no value to the broadcaster.

Meanwhile, this amazing South Sydney bid will reach in to the Wollongong area, delivering the FFA crucial access to the Illawarra TV area.

@bo

It bumps up the population numbers also

Nothing left to do but talk colours and names now-

I would like green and gold/yellow
Something like (home)


Something like (away)


Southern Cross FC or Australiana/Australis FC (the Terras)

Something generic

As Australis means south/southern ,

Sydney Australis FC works also

There isn't a South Sydney identity but there definitely is a Shire mentality. They are very different down there. 

Australiana FC?

That's even worse than the Victoria Patriots.

It's just a working title

Biggest thing the A-league achieved is the bigger games were never this big in the NSL. The core support is also slightly more than back in the day, not much more but it is usually hovering around the 10,000 + mark for most clubs. I guess it is possible Wolves can get small but decent support, Newcastle is probably a good comparison which isn't that bad.

should have chosen the canterbury district instead of the illawara district

dont see why its such an issue to not have a 'south sydney' identity, though there already is one. parramatta, penrith, blacktown, campbelltown share 'pretty intense rivalries' as well, yet these three neighbouring districts could unite behind the wanderers brand.

i am confident that wont be the case, when the wanderers were announced it was rumoured that games would be shared amongst parramatta, campbelltown, penrith, even anz stadium were bidding hard. even when our first draw was released, our stadium deal wasnt finalised, it said TBA, so even at that stage it was up in the air. in the end the fan's voice was the deciding factor and it would be no different for a southern sydney team.

They'd say "I'm from the Shire". I've never heard a person in the Shire say they are from the south. 

Shire will be where they are based (have most home games)

This will be a huge failure if they include the south coast region, especially if its included in the identity. It would also be sad to see us go down the NRL amalgamation type club forming as well. Im all for a South Sydney team in time, but right now it'll cannibalise FC and it would mean the Gong would never have its own team. Would be nice to include both teams i guess and have some kind of F6/Southern derby. There would be no rivalry with the existing two teams either, theres nothing geographically or culturally significant about the shire really, its as snobby as the east and as bogan as the west all at the same time.

@ Frenchmen

That ms why I think they should use

Australis FC or Southern Cross FC etc or similar.

Is incorporated south but not specific.
So if they play in Wollongong they can withdraw with no harm done. Unlike when Queenskand Roar changed name. Or when SFC won't play in Wollongong anymore.

My observation is that the identity of the Sutherland Shire is very attached to the geography of the area in a way that being a 'westie' isn't. If you're from the Shire, you're from within the borders of the Sutherland Shire council. Anyone conceivably from Bankstown to Campbelltown and beyond could call themselves a westie. Wanderers while having a defined geographical location, also had an image that transcended (certain) council borders. Sutherland Shire's identity is locked within those borders. I've seen people from St George area claim to be from the Shire and get shouted down for it. I believe this identity exists outside of any further divisions the St George/Cronulla NRL teams may have created. Whether these perceived divisions carry to football or can be broken down by combining St George and Sutherland under the one umbrella is another story but it's definitely an interesting discussion. 

Clean logic for sure. God that sounds awful though, we have image issues with generalisation of clubs as it is. Also not sure if just withdrawing from Wollongong would mean no harm done. Surely people would have aligned themselves with the other club and thus taking a huge chunk out of potential supporters.

I've lived in the shire most of my life and I can safely say there is a HUGE cultural and socioeconomic divide between us and the St George area.  

Unfortunately, the success of the Wanderers has everyone thinking that it can be repeated. It won't be. Its not the same situation and the only people who seem to argue otherwise don't live here.

A standalone shire side is the best option imo. 

So people dowm there support syd fc or wsw but wouldnt support a club that shares their location?

Why would anyone down there follow wsw or syd fc? Afterall we are being told c9nstantly that wollongong ppl would only ever follow a stand alone bid.

Can we also please stop using the nrl comparison as those were a case of combining existing clubs, whereas this would be an entirely new club made from scratch, a bit lile wsw. Same arguments were made with them too, with ppl saying no suppprters outside of parra would bother as they would be c9nsidered a parra team. 

Its different than the nrl. Im sure all the old school wolves supporters will be against it, but im sure this new club will pick up plenty of new fans if they do their c9mmunity engagement properly. 

The only thing that is truly c9ncerning about this bid is playing out of 3 stadiums (possibly) that is a shit idea. Choose a location and be done with it. Before they eventually build their own.

Exactly. Im sensing the ones agaisnt it are the old school types that have nostalgia from the nsl days and would like to see wolves in for the sake of history etc.

It's more people that don't want a team in the shire or associated with the shire.

I think your wrong Davo. I don't think many people from the gong support SFC or WSW. I reckon at most 5-10% of WSW supporters are from Wollongong and that's being generous. The only time they come out to support an A-league side is when the FFA dangles the A-league carrot in front of them much like they do with Canberra. The people of Wollongong want to support the A-league but they want it to be their own team.

My guess is that they are leaving it open to see which stadium will offer the best deal. Cause a bit of a downward price bidding war. If thats their intention then thats a smart move.

Altho i hope ultimately they choose the stadium based on all the community engagement and find which one is the best suit in order to.maximise their crowds and support.

Im against it because the regions share nothing in common and Wollongong is its own city. The people of Wollongong have nothing in common with the people of southern sydney, culturally, demographically or economically. The team would lack an identity and never be able to form one due to the divides of the people trying to be reached. 

I see no real reason a team in the gong couldn't work, and as far as regional cities go it has a decent population catchment area too.