North Melbourne CEO Ben Amarfio will bring his three-year stint at the Kangaroos to a close after he tendered his resignation to the Board on Friday.

Amarfio joined North Melbourne as CEO in November 2019 and will serve his last day on October 31. He announced his resignation to staff on Friday afternoon.

President Sonja Hood praised Amarfio for his time at the Roos, adding that the club is in the strongest financial position in its 153-year history following Amarfio’s tenure.

“Ben is one of the most talented and hard-working executives I know and his genuine care for his executive team and staff is something I have witnessed first-hand,” Dr Hood said. 

“Shortly after he commenced his role, we were hit with COVID and his leadership helped steer us through some difficult circumstances. 

“His passion and drive to take our club forward has been the catalyst for the club to be in such a position of strength off the field.

“We have zero historical debt, we’ve broken membership records in each of Ben’s three years, we’re about to complete the $8 million Stage Two extension of our Arden St facility, we’ve just re-signed Mazda as our major partner and we are set to play a major role in the State Government’s plans for the Arden Precinct.

“Ben’s greatest and most long-lasting legacy will be the Arden Precinct vision he led and fought for so strongly from the moment he walked through the doors. Present and future North Melbourne players, officials, members and supporters will enjoy the fruits of that work for generations to come and it has paved the way for the club to be embedded in North Melbourne for the next 150 years.

“On the field, it’s easy to forget that when Ben joined us, our AFL team had one of the highest salary cap spends in the competition. He has since led the club to make really brave decisions to reset our salary cap and rebuild the playing list.

“Everyone is now optimistic about our future AFL on-field prospects, and our AFLW team looks poised to enjoy yet another successful season.

“On a personal note, Ben has provided exceptional support and counsel to me, and I have loved working with him.

“I want to thank Ben for his dedication to North Melbourne over the past three years and everyone at the club wishes him well.”

Amarfio said he accepted the role at the Kangaroos back in 2019 because he was excited by the challenge of rebuilding the club on and off the field and that he leaves satisfied the club is in good shape to meet those aspirations.

“When I joined North Melbourne I was struck by the privilege of meeting and building relationships with wonderful North people and partners and the exciting prospect of assisting in the turnaround of our proud club’s on and off field situation,” Amarfio said.

“Off-field we are debt-free, enjoy profits each year, will finish this year with forecasted cash reserves of around $3 million and we will have surpassed a membership tally of 50K - something seen as almost impossible three years ago when we had only 38,000 members. 

“We have engaged with thousands of young people through The Huddle and we have wonderful sponsor partnerships in MAZDA, Spirit of Tasmania, AIA, PUMA and many others.

“Our Arden St facility refurbishment is expected to be completed this November, the Arden Precinct re-zoning is complete and our Masterplan vision for the precinct has been presented to government. This will pave the way for a second oval, further facility enhancements and investment opportunities, which will cement the club at Arden Street for decades to come.

“On-field, we have undergone a major re-build and bold list turnover. Turning around our AFL program has been extremely challenging. Year two of our rebuild has proven harder than we envisaged and we weren’t as competitive as we had expected. As CEO, ultimately that responsibility lays with me and I’m sorry that we let down our members and supporters and fell short of expectations this year.

“However, I am excited about the talented young list that we are building and I think the time is right for me to step aside and provide clear air for Alastair Clarkson, Todd Viney and our hard-working and talented football department to begin their important work, which will hopefully see us getting back to finals and winning silverware in the coming years.

“The past few months in particular have taken a toll and I am keen to take a break once we close out some major projects and activities. In my final few months, among other things, we’d like to progress our Arden Masterplan, secure a national draft assistance package from the AFL, extend some major sponsor partnerships and launch a future fund for the club.

“I will leave satisfied that a very solid foundation has been laid and the club is in a wonderful position to grow from an off- and on-field perspective for our men’s and women’s programs.”

Amarfio will remain at the helm while the Board starts the process for finding the club’s next CEO.