The North Melbourne Football Club is pleased to announce that Heath O’Loughlin will start his tenure at the club as Media and Communications Manager from Wednesday, November 5.
O’Loughlin brings vast media experience to the Kangaroos, having worked in television for both the Seven and Nine networks for the best part of a decade, as well as being a member of the Australian junior national volleyball team before pursuing his media career.
Having presented the weekend sports report and produced stories for Nine news bulletins since 2006, O'Loughlin will bring a wealth of knowledge to the Communications Department as the club strives for continued success on and off the field in 2009.
“We have anxiously awaited Heath’s starting date and we were thrilled when Channel Nine were able to release him earlier than expected," said North Melbourne Chief Executive Eugene Arocca.
"This year, the Club has prided itself on communicating more to its supporters than ever before. The decision to issue a mid year magazine, the improvements to our web site, the introduction of the open media sessions and the greater accessibility to our players and coach were all just a taste of things to come. Heath will take us to a new level and no doubt improve on some of the successes of 2008.”
The club would also like to announce that John Murphy, who has stepped into the role of Communications Manager since the departure of Matt Harrington at the end of May, has accepted the newly created position as the club's Public and Community Relations Officer.
Murphy will be responsible for implementing and managing the North Melbourne Football Club Community Program, while continuing to support Heath in handling media enquiries.
He will coordinate the design of the club's new Learning and Life Centre at
and manage the centre's community-based programs.
"John took on a difficult role at an important time of our history and was able to manage our media and communications without missing a beat. He showed experience and commitment well beyond his years," Arocca said.
"His enthusiasm and great work ethic made him the logical person to take on a newly created position to spearhead our community programs. This is an extremely important role given the club’s firm commitment to engage in greater community interaction and our plans to create the Learning and Life Centre in 2009."
