Moana Hope says she fell in love with North Melbourne the moment she arrived, but her feelings have since grown significantly after seeing the plans for a new AFLW wing of the Arden St facility.
"I love what the club's doing. I love that they're branching out and doing something like this to get this stuff built for us," Hope told the AFL website.
"It's going to sound weird to everyone else, but as a player, on day one of AFLW training, walking into the locker room and seeing your number and name gives you a feeling that you can't describe.
"It's like Christmas morning when you see a stack of presents lined up for you."
Hope's comments come on the eve of North's $1 million, 24-hour Fundraising Challenge, kicking off from midday on Thursday.
"For the club to be working towards something specifically for the girls is pretty exciting," Hope added.
"To be able to call it ours, to say, 'This is our space, this is what we do, we're four teams at one club', is special."
The first phase of the redevelopment will see the creation of a new wing, including change and locker rooms, a warm-up area, property room and a players’ dining space.
New infrastructure for the oval will also be a priority, including a scoreboard, light towers, interchange area and coaches' boxes; ensuring games can once again be played at the venue.
Every dollar donated during the 24-hour period will be quadrupled (e.g. A $25 donation will become $100).
The 24-hour campaign will commence midday, Thursday, August 23 until midday, Friday, August 24.
For pledges prior to the event and donations on the day, visit: charidy.com/ardenforever
The first 600 donations of more than $250 will have their names included on the official North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos AFLW guernsey in its inaugural season.
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