NMFC - Key Persons
Adam Marcon arrived at Arden Street after a stint as an assistant coach in Richmond's AFLW program in 2023 and two seasons as senior coach at Aberfeldie in the Essendon District Football League premier division.
The decorated former Williamstown captain also spent a season on Richmond's AFL list in 2016, where he played two senior games and won the club's VFL best and fairest.
Marcon works under North Melbourne head of development Michael Barlow, who was appointed to the role in late 2023.
Job Titles:
- Head
- North Melbourne Senior Coach
- Senior Coach
One of the most successful coaches in AFL history, Alastair Clarkson led the Hawthorn Football Club to four premierships in 2008 and 2013-15.
The 2008 flag win against Geelong was Hawthorn's first since 1991 and it was Clarkson second notable premiership as a senior coach - his first coming in 2001 at SANFL side Central Districts.
Clarkson was appointed head coach of Hawthorn at the beginning of its rebuild in 2005 and departed the club at the end of the 2020 season after 390 games at the helm.
Throughout his time at Hawthorn, Clarkson notched 228 wins including 16 finals victories and five Grand Final appearances for four flag wins, including the famous three-peat.
Prior to coaching, he also enjoyed a 134-game stint as an AFL player.
After making his debut for North Melbourne in 1987, Clarkson went onto play 93 games and kick 61 goals in his nine seasons as a Kangaroo before switching in 1996 to Melbourne, where he made 41 appearances.
He made a memorable debut for the Roos against the Demons in Round 15, 1987. Aged just 19, he booted three goals including the match-winner after the siren.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Group Member
- Honorary Legal Counsel
Match Committee coterie group member Andrew Harris joined the Kangaroos' board in March 2022.
Founder and managing partner of commercial legal firm, Harris Carlson Lawyers, Harris has served as honorary legal counsel to the club since 2006.
A lifelong, fourth generation North Melbourne supporter, he is a founding member of the club's Integrity Committee and founding director of the club's public ancillary fund, the Shinboners Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Hawks in 2010 As Ruck Coach
- Ruck Coach
Like North Melbourne senior coach Alastair Clarkson, Monkhorst was a part of Hawthorn's coaching stocks throughout the club's golden era over 2013-2015.
Monkhorst joined the Hawks in 2010 as ruck coach and mentored the likes of Max Bailey, Ben McEvoy and Jon Ceglar before departing at the end of the 2022 season.
A 1990 premiership player for Collingwood, Monkhorst played 205 games for the Pies between 1988-1999 before featuring 10 times for the Saints in 2000.
With one of the most successful sports medicine clinics in Melbourne, the Midtown Medical Clinic, Harry Unglik specialises in sports medicine but brings extensive knowledge of general practice, with a passion for holistic health and well-being.
He was the Medical Officer for the North Melbourne Football Club from 1983 to 2001 and this has enabled him to practise sports medicine with elite athletes at the highest level.
Harry was selected as an Olympic doctor for the Sydney Olympics and the doctor for the All-Australian AFL team touring Ireland in 2000 and 2001, and served as the Medical Director of the AFL from 2001-2017.
He is a life member at North Melbourne and the AFL and was instrumental in designing the AFL's Illicit Drug Policy. He was also involved in protocols for Concussion, now used by the AFL.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President of the Board
- Board Member of the Scanlon Foundation, and Formerly Board
Dr Sonja Hood brings significant government relations, strategy, fundraising and organisational development skills to the board. She is CEO of Community Hubs Australia (CHA), a national partnership between government, philanthropy and schools. Over the past five years, Sonja has grown CHA from 39 sites to nearly 100, across four states, and significantly increased its funding and reach.
Sonja is a board member of the Scanlon Foundation, and formerly board chair of McAuley Community Services for Women. She has a PhD in Population Health from the University of Melbourne and a Master's Degree in Policy from Penn State University.
From 2011-2015 Sonja was NMFC's General Manager of Community Engagement, helping to establish The Huddle as one of the best community programs in the country, and ensuring that the club's community and fan development programs were based where they should be - at Arden St.
Sonja comes from a long line of passionate North Melbourne supporters, and is firmly committed to the club, and to Arden St.
North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney has been a pillar of the club since she arrived at Arden Street in 2019, captaining the blue and white while also serving as Head of Education of The Huddle - North Melbourne's community arm.
She joined the club's AFL coaching group as part of the Women's Coach Acceleration Program, which is designed to fast-track the development of women in coaching and assist in their progression to senior coaching roles across both AFL and AFLW programs.
The role has seen Kearney, also a qualified teacher, provide support, guidance and education to the club's first-to-third-year players within the AFL program, with a specific focus on player development, personal development and coaching.
An eight-time AFLW All-Australian, Kearney brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as well as a fresh perspective to the coaching group and senior side.
Job Titles:
- Indigenous Player Development Manager / Development Coach / Major Partner
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach - Backline
Jed Adcock was a stalwart of the Brisbane Lions both as a player and an assistant coach.
He played 206 games for the Lions from 2004 - 2015, including two seasons as captain.
He joined the Western Bulldogs for a final season in 2016, featuring in a further seven senior games, as well as the club's VFL premiership.
Following his retirement, he returned to the Lions as an assistant coach. There he oversaw club's forward line for six seasons, before switching to the backline ahead of the 2023 season.
Adcock joined North Melbourne as an assistant coach in October 2023.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach - Midfield
A former North Melbourne player, Leigh Adams played 104 games at the club after being drafted in 2007 and retired in 2015 as a one club man.
After his playing career was unfortunately cut short by concussion and injury issues, Adams started his coaching career with South Croydon in the Eastern Football League and was named the competition's Coach of the Year following their 2017 Grand Final Win.
Following a short but successful stint coaching Coburg in the VFL, Adams returned to North for the 2020 season, and held the dual role of development and VFL coach.
Job Titles:
- Head of Development
- North Melbourne Head of Development
Michael Barlow was appointed the club's head of development in October 2023.
Orry Lack - Chief Commercial Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Founder of the PSC Insurance Group
- Specialist
North Melbourne added more business acumen and experience to its Board in 2018, appointing founder and Group Managing Director of PSC Insurance Group, Paul Dwyer, as a new Director of the club.
Dwyer is a specialist investor in insurance distribution businesses which includes insurance broking, authorised representatives, franchisees, underwriting agencies, online insurance platforms, claims management, lloyds broking, and reinsurance broking.
Prior to being a founder of the PSC Insurance Group, Dwyer held a senior executive position with ASX Listed OAMPS and previously worked with CGU. He is a Non-Executive Director of the Johns Lyng Group, a Director of the Melissa and Paul Dwyer Foundation, and is actively involved in the PSC Foundation.
Dwyer and his family live in Melbourne and are passionate supporters of North Melbourne. He is also a member of North's Chairman's Club coterie.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Managing Partner of the Ernst & Young Melbourne
Rodney Piltz joins the board after many years of involvement with the club as a member of the Finance and Audit Committee since 2007 and the Integrity Committee since 2021. Piltz is also a current member of the Shinboner Foundation.
With more than 30 years experience with leading global professional services firm Ernst & Young, Piltz is currently the Managing Partner of the Ernst & Young Melbourne office and an Assurance Partner with extensive experience in external and internal audit, risk management and governance.
He is also a member of the Match Committee coterie group.
The Board's most recent acquisition, Selina Lightfoot joins as an experienced company director having been a board member across a range of industry sectors over the past 10 years following an executive career in corporate law.
Lightfoot's current non-executive directorships include roles with Hydro Tasmania, South East Water and Tasmanian Development and Resources, with other current and recent roles in health and aged care, retail and professional services. Together with her corporate and commercial experience, she brings expertise in risk, strategy and people and culture.
She is also a long-time fan of the Kangaroos.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Board
- Chief Marketing Officer at National Australia Bank
Highly respected marking executive Suzana Ristevski joined the board in August 2021 along with Anthony Stevens following the retirements of Glenn Archer and Julie Laycock.
Ristevski is the chief marketing officer at National Australia Bank and has held key executive roles at major multinational brands General Electric and Optus.
She is also a lifelong North Melbourne supporter.
Job Titles:
- VFL Senior Coach / Development Coach
Before beginning his coaching career, Lynch played 164 games and kicked 203 goals across his playing career at St Kilda and Adelaide.
Lynch developed into one of the competition's best medium forwards throughout his time at the Crows and was a crucial part of the club's Grand Final side in 2017.
He signed with the Kangaroos as a pre-season supplemental selection period player in March 2022 and had the opportunity to play in the VFL, but injury kept the forward on the sidelines.
Lynch officially announced his retirement in May 2022 and was provided with the interim VFL senior coach role after Leigh Adams was called upon to fill the vacant AFL senior coach position during the backend of the 2022 season.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach - Forward Line
- Richmond As a Development Coach
A highly talented player and experienced coach, Xavier Clarke understands what it takes to achieve the ultimate success, having coached his own team, the NT Thunder, to a premiership and played a part in three premierships at Richmond.
Clarke played 106 games for St Kilda and Brisbane from 2002-2010 before two knee reconstructions in the space of two-and-a-half years forced him into an early retirement in 2011.
Following his playing career, Clarke worked at both the AFL and AFLPA in various roles within Indigenous engagement and programs.
Appointed senior coach of the NT Thunder for the 2014 NEAFL season, Clarke was named NEAFL coach of the year in his first season and coached his side to a premiership in 2015.
Clarke joined Richmond as a development coach at the end of 2016, before being appointed VFL coach ahead of the 2020 season. Despite the VFL season not going ahead in 2020, Clarke moved into a key development role throughout that year which saw Richmond win the 2020 AFL Premiership.