Laura Kane

Kane joined the Melbourne University Women's Football Club while in year seven at high school. Her first three years at the club were limited to training only, as the club did not yet have a youth girls team.^[1] Once old enough to represent the senior women's team, Kane became a powerful centre half-forward and played into her early 20s before eventually coaching the club.^[4][1]

In July 2014, Kane began work as a qualified junior solicitor at Waller Legal, at one point representing victims in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.^[3][5] By October of that year, Kane had risen to the position of president at Melbourne University Women's Football Club (MUWFC), and in 2015 approached fellow female football administrator Sonja Hood about a role at the North Melbourne Football Club, who had established a partnership with MUWFC dating back to 2010.^[6] Kane eventually joined the football operations team at North Melbourne in April 2016 while remaining as MUFWC president and holding a position on their board.^[5][7]

In 2017, Kane led North Melbourne's application process for an AFL Women's (AFLW) competition license, and in September that year, was nominated for the Football Woman of the Year award as recognition of her dual roles in senior football.^[8] Much of Kane's time developing the application was spent educating staff and the male playing group on the differences between men's and women's football, and she established a player integration committee to further the growth of the female game.^[6] North Melbourne was eventually admitted to the AFLW ahead of the 2019 season as part of a joint venture with AFL Tasmania.^[9][10]

Kane moved to the Australian Football League in November 2021 as general manager of competition management, subsequently resigning from the MUWFC board.^[5][11]