Greg Thomas was the playing coach when Bendigo City took to the field for the 2015 NPL season.

Six years later and with the club not having fielded senior teams since 2017, both Thomas and Bendigo City will be back in action next season when the club lines up in division five of the Men's State League.

Thomas, whose lone season at the helm preceded three-straight championship-winning seasons with Eaglehawk in the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League, is rapt to be back involved as a player-mentor.

While his own passion for playing the game has been reignited following a few seasons away from the field of battle, Thomas is more thrilled for what the future holds for the region's talented youngsters, most of whom will get the overdue opportunity to represent their club and city at senior level for the first time in 2022.

"We feel, and a lot of people involved in Bendigo soccer feel, this is something Bendigo needs," he said.

"There is now a pathway for our good junior players at Bendigo City and those who want to play with the club.

"That's what we are trying to create and all the players we have got here at the club now are all ex-Bendigo City junior players.

"We have got about half a dozen to 10 players, who have come back from Melbourne to play, and just want to be part of it.

"It's a very exciting time."

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Thomas said convincing players, who had departed Bendigo City in recent seasons to return to their roots, had been a surprisingly easy task.

"Every player we spoke to on Zoom, which we had to do because of COVID, as soon as we put to them what we are trying to do, they bought in straight away and said 'I want to be a part of it'," he said.

"That was basically the response from all of them.

"There was virtually no one who ummed and ahhed - they were all on board straight away and keen to get involved.

"We started having a casual kick in early October, when we were just out of lockdown, and the numbers were great and it has just built from there.

"To get the news last week that we'd been approved was a huge relief. Now, it's all systems go.

"FFA Cup starts for us in seven weeks, which is not far away."

While it is take two at Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve for Thomas, that is also the case for Bendigo City, which struggled to make an impact during its time in the NPL, until the decision was made at the end of 2017 to focus solely on the club's junior program.

The former Brisbane Strikers star said that with a full complement of home-bred players on board and no high-priced recruits, or player budget to speak of, comparisons to his first stint at Bendigo City were irrelevant.

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The club will also be lining up in a different league.

Both Thomas and Bendigo City's technical director Nathan Claridge are banking on the team making a quick impact in the MSL.

"We're not hiding the fact we want to get promoted. That's our first and foremost goal. This first year is all about winning games and setting us up for the future," he said.

Thomas hopes his extensive playing experience will prove beneficial in a squad dominated by players in their early 20s and late teens, but insists his own game time, like that of all players, would have to be earned.

"After a couple of years off I'm rested up. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I've actually felt alright the first couple of games," he said.

"We will see how it all goes, if the squad is big enough and I'm not needed, I'm quite happy to sit on the bench and watch the young boys.

"But it's always good to have someone with experience out there."

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