HE MIGHT not be around to foster it but North Melbourne's Adam Simpson hopes his club retains a special closeness when its new football and administration facilities are completed for 2010.

Simpson, who plays his 300th game on Sunday, said it was heartening to arrive at Arden Street every day to further construction of the $16 million building.

Though the 33-year-old is yet to decide whether he'll continue for a 16th season, he highlighted his career-long attachment to the old school change-rooms, gymnasium and offices – sub-standard when compared to almost every other club.

"I'm sure the Jack Ziebells and those young guys can't wait to get out of this joint. Mind you, I've loved being here and often we take a lot of positives out of doing it a bit tougher than other clubs," Simpson said.

"The weights were the weights that they used in the '70s but they're still the same.

"But there comes a time when you need to have a level playing field. I have no doubt that will give us a real big edge."

Simpson was confident the coaches and senior players would ensure the grassroots culture and history of the club were preserved when they moved into the new facilities.

"The fact that we're so tight ... we're probably the last club that gets away together and enjoys each other's company without forcing it upon each other," he said.

"We don't force any social activities on each other yet we have many social outings together. I think that's still critical."

The former captain agreed the club had turned the corner off the field but also pointed to the opportunities being presented to its youngest players on it.

North will unveil its sixth debutant of the season, Cruize Garlett, in this week's clash with Adelaide.

"They've had opportunities this year which they perhaps wouldn't have had over the previous years, because our senior players don't normally get injured," Simpson said.

"At the moment, you can really see some advancement. First-year players are playing like they've played 30 or 40 games.

"It's been a combination of good drafting and good coaching. They've come into the system and into the team with a real good knowledge of how footy's played these days.

"I just hope in years to come we'll look back at this crop of kids and think they've really made a difference."

Speaking at a packed press conference on Thursday ahead of his milestone game, Simpson said that stepping away from captaincy duties had first proved difficult when he was succeeded by Brent Harvey at the end of last year.

And even with Harvey sidelined with an elbow injury since round five, he had deliberately taken a back seat to acting skipper Drew Petrie and his deputies.

However, Simpson confirmed he had put some energy and spare time into preparing for a possible transition into coaching.

"If that does present itself, I'm a bit more organised than the average player who just relies on playing games to get a job," he said.