North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney has been awarded the 2022 Tom Hafey Variety Heart of Football Award.

The award, presented by Variety - the Children's Charity, acknowledges a current AFL or AFLW player who has demonstrated selfless actions and dedication to children.

It is named in honour of football legend Tom Hafey who coached and played at several clubs before inspiring thousands of school children with his community work.

Kearney is the Head of Education at The Huddle and throughout the past 12 months she has designed and delivered programs to support thousands of children and young people's resilience, mental health and well-being and helped educators address the complexities of home learning during COVID lockdowns.

Through her leadership, the True North program was established to help engage at-risk and vulnerable students from diverse backgrounds.

Over the past year, the program has benefited more than 650 children and young people by helping them learn, grow and belong by being re-engaged in their classroom.

Kearney's passion for education has seen her become the first AFLW player to receive the award, and she joins a list of past winners that includes Joel Selwood, Eddie Betts, Luke Ball and others.