Sydney FC have dealt Southern Expansion's bid for A-League inclusion a blow by agreeing to terms with the Wollongong Wolves to provide a pathway to the club.
As the race for expansion heats up, the Sky Blues on Tuesday trumpeted a memorandum of understanding with the Wolves, who will effectively become a feeder club to the league giant.
"This new agreement with Wollongong Wolves strengthens the club's commitment to the area by helping with elite football pathway and player development opportunities," Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow said.
It comes just two weeks before the FFA makes its recommendation to the new board on expansion bids, which have been whittled down to six.
One of them is Southern Expansion, the Chinese-backed bid aiming to cover the Sutherland Shire, St George and Illawarra region.
The Wolves had initially hoped to have their own stand alone team before they were cut from contention a month ago.
They have since entered into a deal with another expansion bid, Canberra, who promised to host an A-League game in Wollongong if they are successful.
Now they will also be able to tap into Sydney FC's vast resources.
Wolves coach and former Socceroos defender Luke Wilkshire said the club still harboured desires of entering the league -- but only as a singular entity.
"I still firmly believe, and everyone I've come across in the region believe, that we deserve a stand alone team," Wilkshire said.
"That's what everyone wants -- not a bit-part of an A-League club. I'd go as far as to say Southern Expansion are not really welcome in Wollongong."
Southern Expansion were this week widely condemned for taking part of the credit in Sydney FC's sellout crowd at Jubilee Stadium on Sunday.
But chief executive Chris Gardiner took the extraordinary step of staging his own press conference at WIN Stadium minutes after the Sky Blues announcement.
He insisted there was enough space for all parties, including their agreement with Football South Coast to cast their own net over the area.
"This week it's with Sydney, last week it was with Canberra," Gardiner said.
"The good thing is opportunities for kids. So anything that expands opportunities, pathways for kids in the Illawarra, we're supportive of it. So good on them."
Gardiner also doubled down on his belief that Sydney FC have only encroached in other territories and stadiums because of Southern Expansion.
"We're very pleased that Sydney and the A-League are now in local stadia. We think that's where the game should be," Gardiner said.
"It so happens that it started this year, in serious engagement, after we've been promoting it. It so happens that there's a focus on development in the Illawarra now from the Sydney club.
"We're keen and pleased to be the catalyst for football in this region."