In a week when the National Basketball League repossessed the licences of former glamour clubs Sydney and Brisbane, the Hawks were boosted by a $239,500 windfall from the Friends of the Hawks (FOTH) group.

FOTH also "pledged" an additional $130,000 in sponsorship to the Hawks.

The FOTH campaign provided the impetus for other organisations - ahm, IMB and Arrive Alive - to throw in crucial sponsorship dollars and rescue the Hawks when the club was dangerously close to folding in January.

While Sydney and Brisbane had the backing of rich team owners, both clubs bit the dust over money issues.

Unlike Wollongong, the Kings and Bullets didn't have the same sense of community the Hawks enjoy in a regional city - they had nothing to fall back on.

FOTH not only proved the Hawks have a loyal following of fans who were willing to fork out their own money to save the league's foundation club, it also showed the region's sometimes fickle sports fans do care about their teams.

"In light of recent events, it just goes to show how much heart Wollongong displays," FOTH co-founder Kyle Page said.

"Wollongong is a great location, a proud diverse community and a great place to live."

The Hawks will put the FOTH funds towards their team budget, with the NBL salary cap set at $840,000.

"It's a requirement of Friends of the Hawks that the money is directly used for payment to players," Wollongong chairman Richard Clifford said.

"This is a phenomenal result and we thank the Friends of the Hawks for their unwavering and inspiring commitment to the club, and also the collective efforts of ahm, IMB and Arrive Alive.

"We're confident the future is bright for the Hawks."

Wollongong captain Mat Campbell was on hand for yesterday's presentation at WIN Entertainment Centre.

"Wollongong is a great city that supports its own, and when the call came out from the Friends of the Hawks, we knew the support would come and it has," he said.