For many followers of the top two division of Illawarra football, Dandaloo is a bit of a blast from the past. The club was one of the Premier League’s heavyweight sides from the mid to late 2000s before their merger with local rivals Dapto. The Dandaloo branch of the Dapto-Dandaloo Fury had folded out by 2016 when the club merged with Kemblawarra.

This led the club to go off the radar of most, with the Dandy diehards turning their attention to their amateur side which had been playing in the Community League structure. The amateur side became the de facto Dandaloo First Grade and has since seen plenty of success to the point where a return to District League could soon be on the cards.

Dandaloo are into their 21st season and a man who has been there for a majority of those is President and First Grade goalkeeper, Tam Hart and he says promotion is something which is being discussed, “There is support from the club and from our sponsors to do so [play in District League], so we just need to decide if we are ready to step up to the next level.”

Hart has also lured former Premier League stalwart David Buchanan back to the club to help out with first team matters. The imposing defender who featured for the Dandy when they were in the Premier League came close to retirement after a number of injuries but Hart was able to convince his long time mate to lace up the boots to help the Lions make a push for promotion.

There has been a lot of changes over the years and Hart believes it is the sense of community which has kept the club going. In 2015, Dandaloo started a women’s side which has achieved remarkable success having just wrapped up their third promotion in a row, with the side set to compete in Division 1 next season. This success has seen them introduce a second side which is currently in the fourth tier.

Due to the tragic deaths of Reuben Martin and Lachlan Scipione, Dandaloo’s Community League rivals, the Helensburgh Hogs forfeited their Round 14 match in order to attend a ceremony at Rex Jackson Park. When Dandaloo heard the devastating news, they decided to band together and make some light out the awfully dark situation by raising money for the boys’ families. In the gesture which was symbolic of the unity in football, Dandaloo raised the money through a BBQ, raffle and coin bucket collection at their home game against the Coledale Waves. The club was able to raise well over $500 which will be directed towards a cause of the families’ choice.

There are good things happening at Dandaloo on and off the field and who knows - it may only be a matter of time before Premier League crowds are filling up the Dandaloo Sports Grounds once again. For now, though, they have four games remaining in Community League with Dandaloo five points off the top. On Saturday, Dandy has a crunch clash against top of the table Shell Cove, the match kicks off at 3 pm at the Dandaloo Sports Ground.

Feature by Dylan Arvela, on Twitter @dylanarvela