Former Australian netball coach Lisa Alexander has revealed she was turned down by North Melbourne after applying for their head coaching position.
The Kangaroos are searching for a new senior coach following the departure of Rhyce Shaw last month.
Alexander coached the Diamonds in 104 Test matches, winning 81 per cent of them over her near 10-year tenure.
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It was reported on Monday she had applied for the job at North Melbourne, hoping her experience in elite, winning environments would transfer to another sport.
Speaking on 3AW on Tuesday, Alexander revealed she was knocked back by the club.
"I was serious about it, I put my letter of application in," Alexander said.
"I was treated very professionally by Brady Rawlings, the GM of football there. They've obviously decided to go down a different track."
No woman has coached at AFL level before, while there is only one female AFLW coach currently - St Kilda's Peta Searle.
Alexander said her experience and achievements in elite sport would have held her in good stead when it came to rebuilding the struggling Roos.
"I have been technical coaching in netball for the past 30 years and I've delivered a world-class, cutting edge, winning program and we were world number one for the entire time," she said.
"I know Australians don’t like boasting, but I’m just stating the facts. I've got a very active and experienced coaching background in lots of different sports.
"I have all the requirements to lead a cultural change in the club."
Alexander added her knowledge of the game would be sufficient to lead an AFL team.
"I’ve watched football my entire life and that's no lie – since I was a bald-headed baby," she said.
"I've been around football for a very long time and I've watched it very closely, particularly while I was coaching the Diamonds."
North will continue their search for their next coach, headed by a panel featuring Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos, announced last month.
Roos is joined by Rawlings, club CEO Ben Amarfio, club great and football director Glenn Archer, board member Sonja Hood and leading psychology consultant Terry Coyne.
“Our aim is to identify and appoint the best coach available. We firmly believe we have established a well-rounded coaching panel to help us identify the person that can bring us success and build a foundation for the future," chairman Ben Buckley said at the time.
