North Melbourne will have its first female president this year, with Ben Buckley revealing on Tuesday he will hand over thexjmtzyw role to board member Sonja Hood.
In a letter to Kangaroos members, Sydney-based Buckley said he would retire in March, six months short of completing his ninth year on the club’s board and a maximum third term.
Dr Hood will be in charge in time for North Melbourne’s 2022 season.
Kate Roffey (Melbourne), Peggy O’Neal (Richmond) and Kylie Watson-Wheeler (Western Bulldogs) are currently the AFL’s only female club presidents.
“For those of you who may not know Sonja, she is as North Melbourne as anyone I’ve met,” Buckley said.
“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.”
Buckley said he would not be in “caretaker mode” for his finals weeks as president and that everyone was working hard to ensure the club took “another leap forward”.
“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,” he said.
“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.
“Our fans are optimistic about the prospects of both teams, with great justification.”
Buckley also promised more information was to come about the presidency handover.
