Fremantle's president Dale Alcock wants the Dockers to be an AFL juggernaut.

It is an ambitious goal. One that is certainly achievable in the long-term, but much will need to change first.

"[We want to be] an absolute elite club and a powerhouse in the AFL, that is the intention and that is why we have made the decision," Alcock said after the dual sacking of coach Ross Lyon and CEO Steve Rosich.

"We will ensure we nurture and respect what we value highly, while being driven in the pursuit of sustained on-field success and off-field prosperity.

"We need change now to set the foundation for the next 10 years."

Ross Lyon and Steve Rosich have exited the Dockers after joining forces for the 2012 season. ( AAP: Sabine Albers )

If the Dockers need a template for how to get there, they need look no further than down the road to the Perth Wildcats, a sporting organisation that overcame a number of obstacles to become the pre-eminent team in their competition, the National Basketball League (NBL).

Engage the fans, reap the rewards

The Wildcats managed to go from a membership base of somewhere around 4,000 to more than 10,000 when they moved from Challenge Stadium to Perth Arena.

It was a remarkable result for a basketball club in Australia.

And they achieved it by engaging kids.

"We tripped over something that I called the defining moment," said former Wildcats CEO Nick Marvin.

"That is, if you get an athlete or a sporting brand to have a significant impact on a person's life — usually it is primary school age — they are a fan for life."

That meant engaging with children from a young age, and the easiest way to do that was through schools.

The Wildcats won their ninth NBL title this season after doubling their membership base in recent years. ( AAP: Hamish Blair )

Wildcats squad members would spend 350 hours in the community each year — 200 above what the collective bargaining agreement required.

Ineffective delivery hampers the message

For Fremantle, which had an average home attendance this year of 40,896 at the 60,000-seat capacity Perth Stadium, there is enormous opportunity for growth.

Membership is the lifeblood of any AFL club and a measure of the health of the organisation.

If the Dockers are to become an AFL powerhouse, it will take more than just winning. ( AAP: Richard Wainwright )

But someone needs to be able to sell the message.

Too often the Dockers have been criticised in the media when it is either unwarranted or has come about because of the ineffective delivery of its messaging.

The Fremantle board is full of well-credentialed business people, but no-one with a clear understanding of how the modern-day media operates.

The Wildcats engaged strongly with the local media, something they have maintained to this day.

In the club's view, it would not survive without media interest, and being mentioned on TV, radio and in the newspaper was essentially free advertising.

Most requests were met and it did not have an impact on the Cats' on-court performance. They are the most successful franchise in NBL history.

Winning is just one piece of the puzzle

They also do not have a local rival like Fremantle does, and when it comes to the AFL landscape in Perth in recent times, West Coast has been the footy club that is far more accessible to the media.

West Coast's membership is heading towards the 100,000 mark. ( ABC News: James Carmody )

It has not come for the Eagles at the cost of success, and the increased exposure has helped the membership of WA's original AFL club grow to unprecedented levels.

Appointing a coach and CEO that understand this is important for the Dockers.

And of course, winning will help Fremantle's cause as well.

But if the club is to become the powerhouse the board thinks it can, that is just one piece of the puzzle.