A new era has begun at Arden St with North Melbourne finally granted an AFLW licence.

The Roos will join the competition in 2019 with Managing Director and CEO Carl Dilena expressing his excitement for what promises to be a bright future.

“This is a landmark day for our great club,” Dilena said.

“We take our role with respect to the growth of women’s football very seriously and have been influencers in this space since 2010 when we formed a partnership with the Melbourne University Women’s Football Club – an initiative no other club had undertaken at that point.

“We are excited to have been accepted into the AFLW competition and have already begun planning and working toward our introduction.”

Register for AFLW email updates

While there was disappointment last year when the club narrowly missed out on obtaining a licence, in true Shinboner fashion, North forged ahead and continued grow the national talent pool, particularly in Tasmania, with AFLTAS.

“We left no stone unturned in our quest to convince the decision makers at the AFL that we were not only ready for an AFLW team, but most deserving of one,” Dilena added.

“Our submission focused on participation and player development at a grassroots level and involved the state of Tasmania in a meaningful way, while also maintaining an equally strong connection to our home in North Melbourne.

“Now that we have the go ahead to form a team in the AFLW, we will finalise the exact details of our partnership Tasmanian Government and ensure maximum benefit to both North Melbourne and Tasmania.”

North has led the way already with its Next Generation Academies (NGAs) in Tasmania currently boasting an incredible 29 percent of participants across all clubs.

“For our members and fans it means a new level of inclusion and growth,” Dilena said.

“We will launch our stand-alone VFL team next year and continue to work on the proposed multi-million-dollar development of the Arden precinct. Our facilities, resources and location are set to become amongst the most desirable assets of any club in the competition.

“Our time is now and we invite our members and fans to join us on this exciting journey and continue to help us capitalise on the opportunities that lie ahead. It is without a doubt a new era for the club and the continued support and loyalty of our supporters has been integral.”