It's official: the Illawarra Hawks will be given the Keys to the City of Wollongong after Council last night voted unanimously to bestow the honour.
In her Lord Mayoral Minute, Cr Tania Brown, one of the Hawks' biggest supporters, described the huge impact the championship has had on the city at the end of a season never to forget.
"Their success has rightly made the community very proud, boosted economic activity in the city and promoted Wollongong to a large national audience," Cr Brown said.
"Thousands of people attended the community event to celebrate the Hawks in Crown Street Mall on 27 March 2025.
"It is appropriate that the Keys of the City are bestowed to the successful Illawarra Hawks to recognise their achievements and contribution to Wollongong in 2025."
Other councillors spoke glowingly of the Hawks' efforts and how they'd generated increased civic pride amongst people of all ages.
Cr Kit Docker said the Hawks' title win was the icing on the cake for a club that has demonstrated leadership both on and off the court.
He said that, in 2020, the Hawks organisation cut ties with gambling and entered into a partnership with the NSW Government through their 'Reclaim The Game' campaign. As such, the often cash-strapped Hawks refused to display gambling advertising on their playing strip and at the WEC.
"The Hawks also established the first Indigenous round after the NBL expressed no interest," Cr Docker said. "This initiative has since been adopted by the league nationally and is an annual fixture celebrating First Nations history and culture."
Cr Docker also praised the Hawks for implementing a "We Rise Together" mental fitness program in schools across the Illawarra focusing on resilience and techniques to overcome challenges with the support of Hawks players.
"They deserve much credit too for supporting the Wollongong Roller Hawks through a formal memorandum of understanding which reflects their deep and ongoing commitment to inclusivity, accessibility and the broader sporting community," Cr Docker added.
In unanimously supporting the Lord Mayor's motion, there was praise for her efforts over many years in rallying the support of the community and business leaders to help keep the Hawks alive during difficult times, to the point they are now the undisputed NBL champions.
