There are a lot of things to be worked through and we are in the process of doing that right now. Glyn Taylor, New Zealand Football operations manager
Wairarapa are bidding for a place in the national football league and will know their fate within "the next few days".
Rumours regarding the establishment of a high-profile committee to push Wairarapa's case have been swirling about sporting circles in recent weeks.
But it was not until New Zealand Football operations manager Glyn Taylor revealed to the Times-Age yesterday that Wairarapa was one of five entities chasing a spot in the country's premier competition that the rumours were confirmed.
Taylor would not name Wairarapa's opposition but a Nelson consortium, Top of the South, announced their intentions to apply in May.
Nelson Mayor Aldo Miccio is spokesman for that consortium and said he was rapt with the support given them once their moves were made public, his phone hardly having stopped ringing with messages of good wishes and support.
Playing in the national league would be nothing new for Nelson, who were part of it for 11 years, mostly in the 1970s.
It would, however, be a first for Wairarapa should they get the nod and would come less than a year after the region's top club side, Wairarapa United, achieved a notable first when they won the Chatham Cup, New Zealand's premier knockout competition.
They beat Napier City Rovers 2-1 in the final played at Palmerston North and that effort was the main catalyst to them taking out the supreme award at the 2011-12 Wairarapa sports awards.
The make-up of any Wairarapa national league side is likely to remain unknown until after New Zealand Football confirm the league's composition.
But if a local bid is successful, the odds are heavily in favour of it consisting mainly of members of the Wairarapa United squad, many of whom have already played at that level for other provinces such as Manawatu, Hawke's Bay and Wellington.
Wairarapa United were eliminated from this year's Chatham Cup last month but are in a strong position to win the Central League title, also for the first time. United have six matches still to play and are second, two points behind Wellington Olympic but with a game in hand.
Just where the home venue for a Wairarapa national league side would be is unclear but the headquarters of Wairarapa-Bush rugby, Memorial Park, would probably be a leading candidate considering the fact league games are in summer.
Taylor said Wairarapa and the other applicants would almost certainly know their fate "within the next few days".
He said several factors had to be taken into consideration, including finance, venue, geographic location, player depth and player pathways.
"There are a lot of things to be worked through and we are in the process of doing that right now," he said.