MELBOURNE has beaten North Melbourne in the race to secure former St Kilda coach Alan Richardson for 2020.

Just five weeks after he was sacked from the Saints, Richardson committed to join the Demons' coaching panel on Friday morning.

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The Roos had also been keen to secure Richardson's services to bolster its football department around freshly appointed senior coach Rhyce Shaw.

While the Demons are yet to publicly divulge his position, Richardson is expected to provide leadership for head coach Simon Goodwin after a horror 2019 season. 

Alan Richardson was sacked as St Kilda coach on July 16. Picture: AFL Photos

"Following on from the appointment of (high performance boss) Darren Burgess earlier in the year, we are very happy to have Alan come on board for season 2020," head of football Josh Mahoney said.

"Alan is extremely well respected within the industry and it was no surprise that he had a number of options from other clubs, and we are pleased that he has chosen Melbourne.

"He brings with him a wealth of knowledge having filled a number of senior football roles at a number of clubs."

The Demons have already made two changes to their coaching panel with development coach Brendan McCartney and strategy coach Craig Jennings to depart after Saturday's clash against North Melbourne in Hobart.

Richardson's coaching career has included time at the Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, Essendon, Carlton and Port Adelaide.