A little bit of history will be made on Saturday afternoon when Coledale Waves step onto Elizabeth Park. They will be playing Penrith Rovers in round two of the FFA Cup and in the process they will become the first Illawarra third-tier side to compete in the Australia wide knockout.

Coledale is a tiny suburb perched in the far reaches of the Illawarra’s northern suburbs with the Waves being one of the most northerly clubs within the Football South Coast association. The junior club was established in 1999 and their numbers have swelled to nearly 400 kids while the seniors kicked off in 2011, they now boast a First Grade, Reserve Grade and four Masters sides.

All of these teams play out St. James Park, which has a strong case for being the most picturesque grounds in the Illawarra given it overlooks Sharkey’s Beach. Unfortunately, the ground is still being used in the backend of cricket season so the goal posts are yet to be resurrected, forcing the tie to be moved south to the home of the Bellambi Rosellas.

In 2015, the First Grade side achieved their greatest on-field success to date, claiming the Community League AA2 Grand Final and promotion to AA1 — the third division of Illawarra football. In the following two seasons, the club has managed to maintain their AA1 status by finishing in midtable.

The credit for getting the Waves into the FFA Cup goes to First Grader Kieren Smith who thought it would be a memorable experience. The club was initially hesitant and not sure whether their application would be considered. Undeterred, Smith followed through and true to the nature of the FFA Cup, the Waves were accepted — team number 24 of 178 in the initial NSW draw.

Tim Canosa will be one of the Waves running out on Saturday. He also helps out as team manager of the senior sides and he is confident the club can continue their upward trajectory, “Our long-term goal is to grow the senior club… eventually, [promotion to] District League is a realistic ambition.” He hopes progression up to the second division will go hand in hand with the development of St. James Park including the addition of a second playing field and training lights.

Coledale Waves new club badge

For now, Coledale will focus on their next 90 minutes of football and here’s hoping when it’s all said and done the Waves can retreat to Coledale RSL to lap up some FFA Cup glory.

Come on the Waves!

The match gets underway at 2.30pm on Saturday the 10th of March at Elizabeth Park, Bellambi.