NORTH Melbourne coach Dean Laidley says the announcement of a $15 million redevelopment of Arden Street will help put his club on a more level playing field with its AFL rivals by improving its talented young list.

Speaking after North chairman James Brayshaw had labelled the club’s current facilities “nowhere near good enough” Laidley, who played 99 matches for the Kangaroos from 1993-97, also said the announcement would further strengthen the club’s bid to remain in Melbourne.

“It’s got to help,” Laidley said when asked whether new facilities would help his side compete with the powers of the AFL competition.

“But at the end of the day, the 20-kilo weight at our football club is a 20-kilo weight at any other football club.

“It’s how you go about it, how you use them and how you respect them. I think if it helps in your preparation, it helps in your recovery, it can enhance your football club.”

Laidley said he did believe the upgrading of facilities might help attract players to Arden Street.

Although he believes what will be more important is giving the youngsters currently under his care the best opportunity to thrive.

“I think more importantly it helps develop your own, I think that’s where we’re at more than going into the market for other people,” he said.

“We’re developing our own young players and our own people, I think that’s going to be really important for us going forward.”

Laidley said he would not have considered such an announcement 12 months ago, when he was merely looking at the club’s future on a “week-to-week” basis.

“But you know there’s been some great forward planning now and some great thought put into the future of the footy club,” he said.

Like AFL boss Andrew Demetriou, the coach praised the work done by senior club officials – namely chairman James Brayshaw and chief executive Eugene Arocca – for getting the club into a more secure off-field position.

The local community is also set to benefit from the redevelopment with the announcement of a ‘Learning and Life Centre’.

The centre is designed to bring Melbourne’s communities together by creating a modern, open classroom with cutting edge educational programs for people from all walks of life.

“It’s terrific,” Laidley said.

“As a coach you probably don’t realise all the work that Eugene’s [Arocca] put into it to get all the different community partners linked in here. It’s going to be a great resource.”

Brayshaw said the Kangaroos had more than $12 million locked away while plans to ratify the redevelopment were currently heading into council.