North Melbourne is pleased to confirm club legend Brent Harvey will move into a newly-created role supporting the club's engagement with past players.
Harvey made the decision to step away from his role as development coach to spend more time with his family.
Harvey's coaching journey began after his retirement from the game in 2016 when he undertook a part-time development coach role with the club. Harvey has gone on to spend seven seasons in the football department, coaching and mentoring North Melbourne's young talent.
"Whilst we’re disappointed 'Boomer' won’t continue as a coach, we respect his decision to spend more time fully supporting and enjoying his children’s various sporting pursuits," North Melbourne’s general manager of football Todd Viney said.
"Boomer is a much-loved person around the club. He is as passionate as they come about getting North Melbourne back where we belong, and he holds a special place in the hearts of our members and fans, so we are thrilled he has decided to remain involved."
Harvey’s new role will see him support the engagement of the club’s past players as well as various other ambassadorial roles.
"I’m really excited about this role - it’ll really create that link between our past and present," Harvey said.
"Our past players know they are always welcome at games and at training or getting along to functions but they may be unsure about who to get in touch with to organise it.
"I’ll be there as the contact point but I’ll also reach out proactively about upcoming events, anniversaries and even the father-son and daughter days."
Over the past 12 months, the club has taken steps forward in reconnecting with its past players including visits, invitations to mid-week training sessions at Arden Street, and the opportunity for past legends to present current players with their guernsey prior to their AFL or club debuts.
Harvey will play a pivotal role in improving the connection into 2024 and beyond.
"You only need to see when Winston Abraham was invited into the rooms just how much the club meant to him," Harvey said.
"Winston was obviously a premiership player and fan favourite but we want all our past players – whether they played in a flag or not, if they played 200 games or they were on the list and never played a game – to know that this is your club and we want to stay connected with you.
"The benefits of that connection then flows onto the LDUs and Larkeys and Sheezels and Wardlaws – this is an important place to so many people and you’re part of this special club."
