The Wollongong Wolves have delivered a blunt assessment of the A-League's current state, ruling out any imminent bid for expansion due to what it calls an atmosphere of "negativity" and prohibitively high costs.
'Not the time to invest' in a league 'in disarray'
Club chairman Tory Lavalle has declared now is not the time for the historic National Premier Leagues NSW club to pursue its long-held ambition of joining Australia's top flight. He pointed to an "exorbitant" licence fee and significant instability within the league as the primary deterrents.
"You need $15 million just to get your foot in the door," Lavalle stated. "You need a white knight to invest, but what white knight would invest in the league at this time? It's in disarray, there's so much negativity going around."
His comments arrive at a time when the door for expansion appears slightly ajar. The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) named Canberra and Auckland as preferred expansion cities back in March 2023. While Auckland FC is now in its second A-League Men season, the Canberra bid has repeatedly stalled, missing another key deadline with the opening of the transfer window on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
Wolves not interested in replacing stalled Canberra bid
Despite Canberra's ongoing struggles to secure a backer and a coach, casting doubt on its planned entry for the 2026-27 season, Lavalle was adamant the Wolves are not positioning themselves as an alternative.
He cited the recent turmoil at other clubs as evidence of the league's precarious position. The APL has taken interim control of the Central Coast Mariners to seek new owners, while Western United was stripped of its licence late last year after being wound up by the ATO in August. Although Western United may yet avoid liquidation, Lavalle views the situation as symptomatic of broader problems.
"I would love Wollongong to have a team in the A-League, but with everything going on at the moment, it's not something I would consider," Lavalle explained. "You look at Western United, they're out, and then they want to get back in, and now the Mariners are in trouble. There's too much uncertainty and negativity around the league."
Calls for a sustainable and supported model
Lavalle contrasted the current A-League model with the club's positive experience in the old National Soccer League (erroneously referred to as the 'Australian Championship' in his quote), where they played at Collegians Sports Complex in front of passionate local fans without a massive financial burden.
He argued that for the Wolves to enter the A-League, the league itself would need to make it viable. "We'd also need support. Without the league's support, it's going to be very difficult to make it happen," he said.
Lavalle suggested the club would need a "free licence" and a financially sustainable operating model to make the leap. While willing to use WIN Stadium as a home ground, he stressed that the economics must stack up. "It has got to be affordable for us to run... That's not the way businesses and clubs operate," he concluded, referring to the current high-cost entry conditions.
The Wolves' decision to publicly step back from the expansion conversation coincides with a leadership change at the national level, with Football Australia announcing the appointment of former Stan CEO Martin Kugeler as its new chief executive officer on the same day.
