NORTH Melbourne's off-season of good news has continued, with the club announcing an extension of its partnership with major sponsor Mazda on Thursday.
The new agreement will see the car manufacturer continue its association with the Kangaroos into an 18th season, until at least the end of 2016.
The announcement follows the off-season signings of star midfielder Nick Dal Santo, football manager Geoff Walsh, and high profile assistant coach Leigh Tudor.
It also came just hours after the club was endorsed as primetime-worthy by the AFL, handed five coveted Friday night games as part of its 2014 fixture despite missing the finals this season.
Kangaroos chairman James Brayshaw said the club was now in its strongest financial position since he came to power in 2007, with revenue and membership climbing, debt reduced from $8 million to between $2 million and $3 million, and a "significant" profit for 2013 set to be announced in the coming weeks.
The increased financial stability, Brayshaw said, would enable North Melbourne to compete with rival teams when it came to football department spending, something that has not always been the case.
"When we inherited the club [in 2007], Dean Laidley was really coaching with one arm tied behind his back," Brayshaw said.
"We had two assistant coaches full-time at that stage, and one part-time.
"So we needed to address, very quickly, a horrible discrepancy in football department spending, and we have done that.
"We've got it now to a point now where we think we give [coach] Brad [Scott] and 'Walshy' (football manager Geoff Walsh) everything they need."
The off-season signings have seen a buzz emerge around the Kangaroos and their prospects for next year, something that Scott said would be embraced.
"I do sense it, but I welcome it," Scott said.
"It's fantastic that people are talking about the North Melbourne Football Club.
"With that comes a sense of expectation, but I feel a sense of expectation every year, because I set very high expectations for our players and our team.
"The fact that other people share those expectations is fantastic … but we've just got to go about our business.
"We've had a great off-season in terms of our on- and off-field acquisitions, but the hard work is all in front of us now."
Scott said his players should be prepared for a "combative, aggressive, taxing pre-season", starting with the three-week high altitude training camp in Utah from November 15.
