North Melbourne has been a quiet achiever over many years in growing female football participation and talent.

No AFL club has done more for women's football in recent times. North Melbourne has demonstrated genuine commitment through its long term partnership with the Melbourne University Women's Football Club (MUWFC), its significant work growing women's football through academies via the Huddle and a strong track record of female employment and development as its key planks.

"I've heard people say some interesting things to state their case," Dilena told The Age.

"I would say that we are not the only club but we have certainly had women in senior roles in our football department for some time.

"We've been a quiet achiever in a sense. We've run the first women's academies and we've had a long-term relationship with Melbourne University which we've just extended for another five years."

Another key focus is North's ability to greatly increase participation levels by engaging young women in the western suburbs and Tasmania when it expands its Huddle operation to those areas.

With 32 female staff including seven in its football department, North has been a trailblazer and was the first club to have a woman appointed to the role of Football Operations Manager more than a decade ago.

Former lawyer Laura Kane has just joined the Roos and is working with CEO Carl Dilena on the club's application for one of four women's football licences on offer.

Kane, also the president of the Melbourne University Women's Club, has taken on the role as manager of North's women's football and academy talent pathways, and said she's thrilled to have made the move to Arden Street.

"I'm not sure North has marketed their involvement with the women's game as well as they could have but they host the youth girls' carnival every year and the Victorian country program for young females as well as their long relationship with my club Melbourne University," she said.

"On my first day here it was obvious that the women in the football department are completely entrenched.

"Football has always been my hobby but when Carl offered me this opportunity I jumped at it even though it was tough to leave Waller [Legal] and I didn't do it lightly," she said.

Before announcing it was keen on a licence, North sought assurances from the AFL that the process would be fair and that no decisions had already been made.

"The competition is definitely fierce," Dilena said.

"One of our concerns was whether this was a genuinely competitive field and the AFL has assured us it is. This is not just a case of us coming to the table at the last minute.

"If we do get the licence Laura will oversee our women's team as football manager and if we don't there will still be immediate roles for her in growing our academies for young girls and boys across Melbourne, Wyndham and Tasmania."

North's work developing women's football includes:

● 2010 - 2013 Girls AFL Academy - for girls aged 10-14 aimed at football development and future leadership
● 2010 - current NMFC Football department staff assisting MUWFC coaching staff and players - exposure to elite coaching and knowledge
● 2012/2013 entered a joint Huddle and MUWFC girls team in the local Western Region Football League - the Mugaroo’s
● 2013 - Current - all girls Auskick group supported by Huddle and MUWFC (female coach Emma Kearney)
● 2014 – 2016 The Huddle and MUWFC entered a multicultural girls team in the AFL Vic Unity Cup
● 2014 – current – involvement of female coach in all schools football programs
● 2014 – 2016 – Kanga’s First Kick all girls group, introducing migrant girls and families to AFL.

North has a ready-made coaching and talent development model for the National Women's League given its partnerships with MUWFC and Werribee Football Club. Although licences will be very hard to come by in this first round, North Melbourne believes it would be best placed of all clubs to run a women's team given it's long involvement and strong track record in women's football.