1. (Identify your product or current status quo.) Realise that you're a product competing against other Products in the Market Place. Assess the strengths of your product. If you don't know where you are coming from you can't determine were you are going (or where you need to go because you don't know what needs fixing and what doesn't need fixing)..

2. (Assess whether Strengths are still appealing).Determine wether these strengths have a target market(ie, wehter they still appeal to the general public). Analyze the target market to see what percentage of the market place you represents. This is called Market Research

3. (Engage profesional Market researchers).Without doing this, you will never have a finger on the pulse. And seeing that the market place is a volatile living thing that feeds of the emotions of people (it's consumers) and it is consistantly re defining itself, it is important you are'nt out of touch with the market place. They will identify where your market came from, why it left you, where it is now coming from , and what you have to do to sustain it and grow it.

4. (Create a Public Relations Department)to engage the general public again! Start making a noise. Start Yelling we're out here. Make sure it's representative is a high profile spokes person who can reignite the past proud history of your club, someone like Geoff Oliver or Charlie Yankos, Theo Selemides or Gary Cole. Why not Gary Cole and Geoff Oliver for the English Speaking counterparts and Charlie Yankos and Theo Selemides for the greek speaking counterparts.
Make sure these people are being advised guided by a proffesional PR team whose sole Job being to ring and establish contacts for these spokes people with all the different mediums out there (ie Community newspapers, the journal etc. Herald Sun, the Age, Neos Kosmos etc and the list goes on!!!!!). Picture this, the PR Department comes up with a competition to give away a BMW SERIES wHATEVER!!! from one of your sponsors, IT USES THIS competition as bait to attract all the different forms of media out there and the Spokes People take advantage of this campaign to start selling the Club Again. Look at what Eddie Mcguire did for Collingwood football Club. If you Allow CONSUMERS TO GO COLD ON A PRODUCT THAT'S WHAT THEY WILL DO!

5. (Become Transparent Again) IN order for people to flock to your club they need to identify with it and take ownership of it. You need to promote Functions for Kids , Youth, Families, Womens, Men the elderly that bring them back to the club. You need to exhaust all avenues through different forms of media that allow these people to testify they're involvement in past present and future Functions. By giving these people something to talk about making them feel important you create an atmosphere of ownership. Positivity attracts positivity. Create a win/win cituation not a win/lose cituation, where you the club stand to gain only. Once the general public get a notion that your only after their hip pocket they will drop YOU quicker than you can say Charlie. Give to the Broader Public and they will return the Favour and start embracing your club again. Allow them to take Ownership of you!

If you think like a Club you will stay as that. FOR FAR TO LONG ALL YOU HAVE DONE IS REPLACE PRESIDENTS AND COMMITTEES WITH THE SAME. Clubs have evolved beyond that. Make sure that the next time you chose someone to lead your club, that He or She Understands that the Club Team represents the broader Community .The Public and Broader Community owe you nothing, but that you rely on them and not they on you. Until your Members who elect your leaders start to realise the importance of the above points and elect someone who can implement the above stategem then, no, you will never get back to the NSL.

You make some good points in regards to gaining entry back into the NSL. Getting club legends to promote the club is not a bad idea at all with it showing that ex players still have a love of the club.

I think in order for the club to gain NSL entry a few things must be done. Money must be raised to a substantial level and a incoming income must be present and guaranteed for years to come. Too many NSL sides have folded in past season due to money troubles and it is important for Heidelberg not to go down this road AGAIN.

Supporters must get passionate about this once thriving club and start flocking to the ground as they once did. Unfortunately they have disapeered of late but being the "Richmond" in Australian soccer the club has the ability to attract a huge following if the club does well.

The club must be marketable - with the strip being attractive - with supporters of ANY nationality made welcome to this club. In the northern suburbs there are many players and many supporters of soccer - although they are clubless as far as a team to support. These are the type of fans that Heidelberg should be reaching out to attract. The northern suburbs is a huge market for anybody willing to capatalise. Promotions at schools where primary school kids are given season passes should be given out - this in turn would mean that the kid will be accompanied by an adult who in turn brings money to the club - gate prices food for himself and the kid etc etc.

All in all the club has a big task to enter the NSL but it is not impossible - soccer is a funny sport - who knows what the future will bring?

correction on email address re: above correct email address.