ON Wednesday, Brendon Santalab will be busy helping Western Sydney Wanderers try to qualify for the AFC Champions League final.
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After a scoreless draw in the first leg, victory on October 1 over FC Seoul at Parramatta Stadium means the Wanderers will join Adelaide United as the only Australian sides to qualify for the showpiece decider.
While this game is at the forefront of Santalab's thinking, the former Unanderra junior is ecstatic Wanderers coach Tony Popovic has given the squad this Thursday and Friday off.
Santalab intends to come home to Wollongong to watch the 40th annual Australia and New Zealand Croatian Soccer Tournament from October 2-5.
His former club, South Coast United, is hosting the prestigious tournament at Ian McLennan Park, Kembla Grange.
Some 45 teams from 22 clubs around Australia and New Zealand will converge on the region to take part in the four-day tournament first held in 1974.
Organisers expect crowds of up to 10,000 to watch matches at Ian McLennan Park and Macedonia Park in Berkeley during the four days.
Santalab said he was looking forward to supporting the tournament.
"We have Thursday and Friday off so I will be able to make it to the tournament a fair bit, and also to the gala night on the Saturday, which will be nice," he said.
"It is a special event for the Croatian community. The fact that there will be almost 50 teams is fantastic.
"I know that the Croatian community in Wollongong are supporting the event big time."
Santalab is right, with South Coast United getting support from the Illawarra's Croatian community as well as Football South Coast and Destination Wollongong, to ensure the longest-running continuous soccer tournament in Australia is successful.
Organising committee member Ivan Karamatic said this was the first time the entire Illawarra Croatian community was supporting the event.
"It is a massive event. Apart from the actual games we've got plenty of activities for children and there will also be a special ladies event on the Friday, where all money raised will go to support breast cancer research."
The tournament will officially open at 6pm on Thursday, October 2, with matches starting at 7pm. Matches will be played at two venues on Friday from 9am and at Ian Mclennan Park on the Saturday from 9am. All finals of the four divisions will be played on the Sunday from 10am.
Reigning first division champions Melbourne Knights will return to defend their title against national premier league clubs from throughout the country including Sydney United, St Albans, North Geelong and Adelaide Raiders.