The North Melbourne Football Club has paid tribute to outgoing President Ben Buckley after he stepped down following nine years on the club's board and six as its leader.

Buckley first represented North Melbourne on the field and played 74 VFL/AFL games between 1986 and 1993, rising to become the club's vice-captain.

He joined the board in 2014 and became President in 2016 when he took over from James Brayshaw.

Under Buckley's watch the club added its historic AFLW team, as well as standalone VFL and VFLW teams.

The club is now in its strongest financial position ever and is on the cusp of deepening its connection to North Melbourne via an expanded footprint in the Arden Precinct.

Key North Melbourne and AFL figures thanked Buckley for his contribution to the club over many years.

North Melbourne President Dr Sonja Hood

Ben’s drive, ambition, and love for North know no equal, and he has been an outstanding leader of our club.

I have been especially grateful for his counsel, and know that we will all continue to benefit from his support and advice, even after he steps down from the Board.

Thank you for leading our club with such professionalism. You leave behind a great legacy.

North Melbourne CEO Ben Amarfio

Ben has a long and storied history with North Melbourne and I truly hope he’s remembered as one of the many great contributors in the football club’s history.

He started as a player back in 1985 after coming across to Melbourne as a teenager from Tasmania. He worked his way up to being vice-captain of the club and has had a continuous link to North Melbourne in an official and unofficial capacity ever since.

When you think of his legacy, the first thing that comes to mind is that we had one team when he first became president in 2016 and now we have four!

Then you look at the ever-expanding and soon best-in-class facilities at our Arden St home, and the fully resourced men’s and women’s football programs. All of this achieved while paying down our historical debt. It’s an amazing achievement.

On a personal level, Ben is a dear friend and I will be forever grateful to him and the Board for inviting me to join this special footy club as its CEO.

Under Ben’s leadership this club has made some courageous and drastic on- and off-field decisions in recent years. I look forward to seeing him back at the club as a fan as those tough calls begin to bear fruit. As one of our board directors Paul Dwyer often says: ‘Blessed is he who plants trees under whose shade he will never sit.’ I think that aptly describes Ben’s wonderful contribution to our great club.

North Melbourne AFL Senior Coach David Noble

Ben has always been fully supportive of our football programs across the board. 

He’s done a wonderful job in leading our club over a significant period and his leadership provided great stability during a time of change.

Ben leaves behind a great legacy, one he can be proud of, and we all wish him well for the future.

AFL Chairman Richard Goyder

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you on behalf of the AFL Commission for your time and enormous contribution over the last six years as President of the North Melbourne Football Club, with your formal retirement from the role. 

I want to repeat my sincere congratulations for the job done by yourself and your board over the last six years, and particularly around the elimination of the club’s debt. 

The off-field strength of the Kangaroos is a badge of honour I hope you will carry with you, and the current young talent around the list will hopefully soon see a quick return to the upper reaches of the ladder. 

I know you will always be watching your club with the closest of eyes, and I hope the friendships and relationships you have built in the game, both in your time on the field, at the AFL and then in this senior role, will continue for many years into the future.