Wollongong FC take on Sutherland on Sunday for the NSW Premier League title while on Saturday night an A-League preseason game between Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix will be played at WIN Stadium.

It will be a momentous occasion if the Wolves can bring glory back upon the region. And football bosses will be studying hard the level of support for the A-League match as they consider the merit of the South Coast bid to join the competition.

These are potentially exciting days for football in the Illawarra. If we secured an A-League spot it would surely convince the State Government of the need to upgrade WIN Stadium.

It would also provide us with another regular place in the national sports psyche. We fought hard to keep the Hawks in the NBL - and, as we said at the time, if we got over that hurdle anything was possible. (We've since watched the Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets and Singapore Slingers fall over.)

Football in this country generates enormous grassroots activity with thousands of registered young players in this region alone.

In the process it puts the acid on rugby league, which has seen better days, in the battle of the codes.