A Family's Football Dream Across Three Generations
For Pete Broadhead, the 500-kilometre journey from Narrendera to Wollongong is a pilgrimage he gladly makes whenever his beloved Wolves play. As a dedicated WolfDen member for over a decade, Broadhead has witnessed the club's highs and lows, but his passion remains undimmed.
Recently, three generations of the Broadhead family gathered at Collegians Sports Centre to watch the Wollongong Wolves take on Heidelberg United. Pete watched alongside his daughter Sarah and granddaughter Maya, creating memories that span decades of football devotion.
"It's great seeing the Wolves back on the national stage," Broadhead told the Illawarra Mercury. "It would be fitting if they got into the A-League. That's where they belong. It's a crime they're not in it."
His dream extends to the next generation, hoping that one day young Maya will be chasing the club's wolf mascot at halftime, just as her mother did in the early 2000s.
Unfinished Business: The Stadium That Never Was
The Wolves' path to national recognition has been marred by what supporters describe as "factional fighting and petty politics." Nowhere is this more evident than at Collegians Sports Centre in Figtree, a ground that evokes mixed emotions for longtime fans.
Fellow WolfDen member Darryl Mowbray expressed the collective frustration: "We always cringe when we come to this place because this should be our ground. This ground was developed for us."
The story dates back to 2002 when Wollongong Sports and Recreation Centre Pty Ltd received $2.5 million in public funding to transform Lysaghts Oval into a home for Illawarra football. The funding included $2 million to help the Wolves and Wollongong Olympic move from Brandon Park, plus an additional $500,000 grant in 2005.
Yet nine years after the initial allocation, the site remained unfinished and unused. The matter was eventually referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption in 2012.
Mowbray personally invested $1000 towards the redevelopment project. "Whatever the internal petty politics were involved, it was just a shame to see it didn't eventuate, which is sad. Sad for the sport, sad for the district," he lamented.
From Near-Collapse to Renewed Hope
Broadhead recalls the dark days following the Wolves' 2008 State Championship victory, when club officials announced they were walking away. "It basically wasn't going to be a club the following year, I was gutted," he remembered.
This crisis prompted community leaders Andrew Byron and Rob Rossi to step in and rebuild the Wolves as a community club. "We are in a much better position nowadays," Broadhead acknowledged. "Those running the club are on the right path."
Both supporters believe the club has turned a corner, with factionalism giving way to unified support. Mowbray noted: "Football locally has always been factional. The factions never worked together; they always pulled apart, and it sort of held the game back. Hopefully, now it's turned a corner and people are getting behind the Wolves 100 percent."
The Wolves' rich history includes developing Australian football legends like Scott Chipperfield, Mile Sterjovski, and Luke Wilkshire, while attracting international stars such as Charlie Yankos and Adrian Alston. This legacy fuels the belief that Wollongong deserves A-League representation.
As Broadhead optimistically stated: "I honestly believe that old saying, 'if you build it, they will come', and Wollongong fans will come out in their thousands should we make it to the A-League."
The Wolves continue their Australian Championship campaign, needing a 6-0 victory against Marconi Stallions to progress to the quarter-finals, keeping alive the dream that one day three generations of Wolves supporters might cheer their team in Australia's top football competition.
