Last week ex-Socceroo and former Wolves player, Scott Ollerenshaw, described the NPL outfit as a “nice little club” but urged fans to think big and think Southern Expansion.

Southern is hoping to hoover-up Wollongong support in a sprawling bid that covers the Illawarra, St George and Sutherland regions.

That won’t happen says club CEO Chris Papakosmas who is confident Wolves will be the “first team selected” when FFA names the two A-League expansion clubs for 2019/20.

“The Illawarra and south coast region have had a long proud history of football from the 50s and 60s onwards, if not before,” he told FourFourTwo. “We have three of the five or six oldest registered clubs smack bang in our region.

“We don’t look as ourselves as part of Sydney, we don’t look at ourselves as part of any other region except our region. We are very loyal, we are very tribal. We always support our own.”

And Papakosmas has issued a “watch this space” saying the bid has “some nice international surprises that are just around the corner” in terms of backing.

Wolves fans celebrate defeating South Melbourne in the 2001 NSL Final

A-League premiers Sydney FC – which has supported Wolves’ topflight aspirations in the past – claim their fan base will be cannibalised by Southern. And for their part, Wolves say have no plans to encroach on the top dog’s territory.

“For us it’s definitely about expanding the A-League, not diluting it,” Papakosmas said.

“We believe that our submission not only adds to the A-League as a whole but also complements the existing teams in there. We add to the other teams rather than detract from it.

Papakosmas said the two-time NSL champions come “readymade” for the A-League with “three generations of fans, history, colours and close to one of the best home grounds in the league (WIN Stadium).”

It also has a readymade A-League rivalry. The 2000 Grand Final marked one of the greatest comebacks in Australian football when Wolves clawed back a 3-0 deficit to win the decider over Perth Glory in a penalty shootout.

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“Once the Wolves are included in the national competition think about the readymade derbies that will flow from that – they’re not manufactured,” Papakosmas said.

“Newcastle Jets v Wollongong – that’s the battle of the steel cities. Mariners v Wolves is the battle of the coasts…You’ve got Sydney FC v Wolves…

“But what we have to offer to the A-League is the most genuine and passionate east coast, west coast rivalry between the Wollongong Wolves and Perth Glory. You’re not going to get a genuine rivalry, pitting both sides of the country, as strong and as historical and passionate as Wolves v Perth.”

It all comes down to culture and Papakosmas said clubs can’t manufacture that or build it overnight.

“We already have a brand and a logo that in many regards is more recognisable than a lot of A-League clubs” he added.

“And we have the greatest half-time entertainment in Australian sport – chase the wolf (mascot). Now there’s no better sight than seeing hundreds of kids lined right across WIN Stadium waiting for the buzzer to go so they can all chase the wolf try and grab his tail and get the prize.”

It may seem a small point but Papakosmas is adamant it all adds up to a winning bid.

“A lot of people have come out with outrageous statements trying to get arguments in the media – he said, she said, we’re bigger and better than you,” he said.

“We’ve gone about our business confidently, quietly and very very carefully to ensure what we put forward is not hype and bluff. What we put forward is substance.

“We have some very passionate local business owners and organisations right behind our bid... and quite a few announcements still to come but they are planned and strategic.

“We are very confident that not only will we be part of the A-League expansion in this submission we’ll be the first team selected.”

FFA is expected to announce two new clubs for the A-League season 2019/20 in October.