News Ben Buckley stepped down as President, BIGFOOTY'S OWN Dr Sonja Hood has taken on the role.

[Chadwiko]

A Letter From Club President Ben Buckley:

Hello all

I hope this finds you well and that you have all enjoyed a happy, safe and healthy start to the New Year.

I’m writing today to advise you, our fans and members, that I plan to hand over the presidency of the North Melbourne Kangaroos a little earlier than originally planned. It’s not a decision I took lightly but I feel the time is right for current board member, Dr Sonja Hood, to take the reins ahead of the coming AFL season.

I’ll continue in the role until March and retire six months ahead of completing my ninth year on the Board. That will mean I’m just short of completing the maximum three terms on the Board.

For those of you who may not know Sonja, she is as North Melbourne as anyone I’ve met. She watched the Kangas from the terraces at Arden St as a little girl and has closely followed the ups and downs of the club ever since. Her love and understanding of North Melbourne extends past the football club, having served the local community keenly in her role as the CEO of The Huddle for five years from 2010-15. I couldn’t think of a better person to take the club into the next phase of our future.

I’ll share more about my time on the Board and as President in the coming weeks but I can say that I have never been more confident in the club’s direction. Off the field, we have cleared our debt for the first time in almost four decades, we are about to embark on an $8m extension of our world-class Arden St home, and we are well-placed to play a major role in the Arden Urban Renewal project.

On-field, our AFLW team has started the year in fine style, winning three of our first four matches under coach Darren Crocker and captain Emma Kearney. And our AFL team is building something really special under coach David Noble and skipper Jack Ziebell

7

Jack Ziebell

Age

33

Ht

188cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

19.1

5star

K

12.8

5star

HB

6.3

4star

M

3.8

4star

T

4.6

5star

MG

369.5

5star

D

8.0

2star

K

5.0

2star

HB

3.0

2star

M

3.2

3star

T

1.6

3star

MG

125.8

2star

D

16.2

4star

K

11.4

4star

HB

4.8

4star

M

5.2

5star

T

3.0

5star

. Our fans are optimistic about the prospects of both teams, with great justification.

We will have more about the handover process as we draw closer to March, but in the meantime I can assure you that we won’t be in caretaker mode over the next few weeks. Everyone, from the Board, to the staff, to all our players, will be working hard to ensure we take another leap forward as a club in 2022 and beyond.

Go Roos!

 

[Chadwiko]

(Needs it's own thread)

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Shame. Ben is so highly rated both at North and around the league.

Buckley has done an incredible job guiding us through a period of transition. New coach, AFLW, on field struggles, Covid and large scale developments around the club. Been nothing short of impressed with him. Best of luck in your next endeavour Ben, very grateful that you chose to take on the job.

Sonja has big shoes to fill, but there is hardly a more passionate north person out there. I'm sure she has had plenty of guidance from Buckley and Amarfio which will hold her in good stead.

 

[GreatBradScott]

We did it. Bigfooty finally took over the club. Never doubted the revolution.

All the best to both Ben and Sonja, what an honour.

 

[Tectonic]

Caro-esque phrasing

 

[The Filth Wizard]

From little things big things grow.

 

[AnEmptyChair]

THis is brilliant mostly because Sonja comes across as an absolute legend of a person and is clearly very intelligent, knowledgable and passionate about our club, and a friend of a long-term poster here.

There is also a small part of it that is brilliant because of how apoplectic it will send some people because they appointed a WOMAN to a football role. HOW DARE THEY? WHAT DO THEY KNOW ABOUT FOOTBALL OTHER THAN HOW TO WASH DIRTY FOOTY SOCKS?!! I AM DEFINITELY NOT COMPENSATING FOR MY OWN DEFICIENCIES!!!1!1

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Very excited to see this news. Thanks to Ben and GO SONJA!

 

[The Warlord]

The last three Melbourne clubs to win flags all had women in either the top seat, or a crucial role (Alberti as vice president at the Dogs).

 

[Event Horizon]

I've met Sonja personally around 12-15 years ago for the first time when she offered to give me the Glenn Archer collector's beer as I missed out on it. She personally drove it to my work at the time, in a car full of kids. Extremely nice person Sonja is.

 

[Event Horizon]

Buckley had a very good reputation and standing in the football world. I was hoping he'd see the club in the flag contention again and get the rewards for some tough decisions he has made. But it's over to Sonja now. Hope she will stand up for the club when required, as being a North president isn't the same as any other club. Hope she will also make some tough decisions when required.

 

[SunnyBoner]

Ben has done a great job to steer us in the right direction over the past few years. is he still living in Sydney, that may have been an issue for him personally. Either way he and the rest of the Kangas leadership team have us well placed for the future.

We should also note that Richmond, Bulldogs and the Dees have all had female leaders in their premiership years. Go you good thing!

 

[Only Forwards]

Great News.

Sonja seems to me about North to her core as the most rusted on supporter on here is.

 

[Colbys Boots]

The last three Melbourne clubs to win flags all had women in either the top seat, or a crucial role (Alberti as vice president at the Dogs).

Both clubs contesting the last grand final had women as president/chair.

It's insane to restrict the pool of options at the top level to 50% of the population. And it's becoming apparent that the nature of professional football clubs and the business of football, in general, seems to benefit tremendously from the leadership of women, whether that is due to the differences in management style, capacity for multi-tasking, or the ineffable distinctions in thought processing and problem-solving. Either way, I'm strapped in for the ride and can't wait to see where this takes us.

Good luck, Sonja, we absolutely want you to succeed and we're behind you 100%.

 

[The Warlord]

Both clubs contesting the last grand final had women as president/chair.

It's insane to restrict the pool of options at the top level to 50% of the population. And it's becoming apparent that the nature of professional football clubs and the business of football, in general, seems to benefit tremendously from the leadership of women, whether that is due to the differences in management style, capacity for multi-tasking, or the ineffable distinctions in thought processing and problem-solving. Either way, I'm strapped in for the ride and can't wait to see where this takes us.

Good luck, Sonja, we absolutely want you to succeed and we're behind you 100%.

Agreed. It is actually quite un-North like that we weren't the innovators on this one.

 

[Heaps of fun]

I hadn't even noticed Sonja was a woman. Well done to her.

 

[Sphynx]

I think Vic Pol need to be alerted to a welfare check at the Altona Video Ezy.

Will he be alright with this news?

 

[Only Forwards]

Agreed. It is actually quite un-North like that we weren't the innovators on this one.

It is probably because there were echoes of being in survival mode.

Those days are gone.

 

[The Warlord]

It is probably because there were echoes of being in survival mode.

Those days are gone.

We'll always be in survival mode imo. We need to grow just to keep up.

But certainly we're not at death's door, or have the wolves circling, in a way we once did.

 

[Heaps of fun]

I think Vic Pol need to be alerted to a welfare check at the Altona Video Ezy.

Will he be alright with this news?

Lmao

 

[BoomerRoo]

Such a great appointment! Love it! Sonja is incredibly passionate about everything and anything North Melbourne! Very good operator!

Congrats Sonja and well done Ben

 

[Val Keating]

Very excited to see this news. Thanks to Ben and GO SONJA!

There’s nothing that she posted that the media could twist against her is there? I only follow her on Twitter and I think she was before my time on here.

Seems like a nice person so I doubt there would be, but if there is, mods do your thing and get deleing before some journalist trawls through all her old posts.

 

[Dan]

The last three Melbourne clubs to win flags all had women in either the top seat, or a crucial role (Alberti as vice president at the Dogs).

And if that’s the basis on why she’s been given the job…..it’s a fashionable decision rather than pure merit. That’s not to say she isn’t a genuine north person who does have runs on the board.

I’m not fan of the huddle w***ery.

I’m interested in what her thoughts are on tassie/home games in Melbourne.

Off the bat though I do like having someone in place who isn’t interstate.

So we’ll see.

 

[tazaa]

Great to have one of our own leading the club.
Now let’s get number 5!

 

[Sphynx]

And if that’s the basis on why she’s been given the job…..it’s a fashionable decision rather than pure merit. That’s not to say she isn’t a genuine north person who does have runs on the board.

I’m not fan of the huddle w***ery.

I’m interested in what her thoughts are on tassie/home games in Melbourne.

Off the bat though I do like having someone in place who isn’t interstate.

So we’ll see.

She's a dyed in the wool North fan who was in the trenches against relocation.

If anyone is going to phase out the Tassie alignment, listen to general fan concerns it will be someone like her. But it may require further development of the Tassie AFL side to really enable the divorce of the North/Tassie Govt relationship.