A proposed merger has drawn the support of the two premier coaches from the clubs involved.
Malcolm Fleming and Richard Murray, who coached Dunedin Technical and Caversham last year, both spoke positively about the impact of the clubs joining forces.
Junior clubs Melchester Rovers and Hereweka will also be involved in what is for now being called South Coast United.
Both coaches said the move was important in keeping up with the progress other clubs were making around the country.
That included mergers involving big clubs in Auckland, which were pooling resources.
As New Zealand Football returned its national league to a club-based format, that would become even more prominent.
Fleming felt joining forces was the best way to be competitive on that scale going forward.
He said it would impact not only the senior teams, but if done right, would create better development for younger players.
However, he said patience was important.
Changes would not happen overnight and there was plenty of work to be done.
He added it would be beneficial to Dunedin football and felt having a national league presence was important.
That presence was no longer guaranteed, as only two teams from the South Island would qualify each year.
"We need national league representation in Dunedin," he said.
"Those 4500-5000 kids playing in the area, they need something to strive for, or they’ll go and play another sport.
"We’ve got to have something. We can’t afford not to have it."
Murray dubbed the changes as an exciting move.
He said merging clubs would help meet the criteria needed to be licensed by New Zealand Football, particularly as they were smaller than many North Island clubs.
Like Fleming, he said that was key not only at the senior level, but at the junior one, too.
Creating a pathway for players to trickle through was key to success and he felt that was where Melchester and Hereweka would be important in the merger.
They would provide the club with a greater pool of players and also a wider range of coaching.
Both coaches said they supported the club-based model over the franchise-based format the national league had taken in recent years.
Murray confirmed he would apply to be the SCU premier men’s head coach, while Fleming would look at the job description.
