North Melbourne is pleased to announce the appointment of AFLW senior assistant Rhys Harwood to the newly created role of Head of AFLW.

In this elevated capacity, Harwood will help oversee the direction of the AFLW program and lead the coaching department, while continuing his vital work as a senior assistant coach under Darren Crocker.

North Melbourne General Manager of Strategy and Women’s Football Erin Lorenzini said the appointment is a testament to the club's culture of growth and commitment to internal development.

"Rhys has contributed significantly to the progress of our program over a number of seasons. To have a coach of his calibre - who was highly sought after across the League - choose to stay and grow his career at Arden Street is a massive win for our program," Lorenzini said.

"It is a credit to the environment we’ve built that people like Rhys want to stay and lead us into this next chapter.

"We pride ourselves on constantly reviewing how we evolve and improve, both on and off the field, and this restructure ensures the professional development of our staff and coaches that we feel will help us achieve sustained success."

Harwood expressed his excitement about the expanded role and the future of the program.

"I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved here at North Melbourne, and the quality of the people across the whole program," he said.

"Taking on the Head of AFLW role allows me to have a broader impact on our coaching and high performance standards while staying hands-on with a group of players I care deeply about."

The club's high performance department, led by Alex Veitch and Vincent Atkinson, will stay on from last season.

"The physical capabilities of our team and the ability to manage the health of our list need to be credited to the efforts of both these people, with the help of our medical team," Lorenzini said.