PLANS to ensure the long-term survival of the North Melbourne Football Club are expected to be underpinned by combining a state-of-the-art football facility with a centre for Melbourne's new migrant communities.

The bold initiative has emerged as the secret joint venture behind the multimillion-dollar refurbishment of Arden Street — currently housing the worst football facilities in the AFL — which should secure the Kangaroos' future as a Melbourne-based club.

Influential Kangaroos' supporter Peter Scanlon is understood to have pledged an estimated $1 million to the joint venture through his Scanlon Foundation. The former AFL commissioner was identified late last year as one of a group of potential "white knights" who club president James Brayshaw said would plough millions of dollars into the club.

The AFL, which has already pledged $1.5 million towards the Arden Street redevelopment, has been approached in recent weeks by the Kangaroos' new chief executive, Eugene Arocca, for further funding to make up what is believed to be a $1 million shortfall in the project, which is due to begin late next year and estimated to cost $14 million.

It is expected that the project will include a migrant resource centre. The AFL, now spending millions of dollars on multicultural player development across Australia and around the world, sees the joint venture as a key to its plan to attract the best young athletes from Victoria's increasingly diverse multicultural communities.

While league boss Andrew Demetriou has refused to commit extra money to the project, he has agreed to put forward Arocca's proposal for extra funds to his executive and is believed to be enthusiastic about the project. Demetriou last week reassured the club's renegade shareholders that they were right to abandon any plans of a relocation to the Gold Coast.

One AFL official last night described the Kangaroos' plan, which could be announced as early as next month, as "innovative, creative and clever". Club chairman Brayshaw is believed to have held a series of talks with Mr Scanlon, whose foundation has already dedicated millions of dollars to social cohesion projects and who, as a pioneering former commissioner, sees the national football code as an important social platform and multicultural leader.

Since joining North Melbourne from Collingwood in February, Arocca has reopened dialogue with the Melbourne City Council regarding the redevelopment, secured an extra $2 million from the State Government, engaged developer Strathcorp to rebuild the tattered inner-city facility and expanded plans for North's new football facility from 4000 to 5000 square metres.

Arocca refused to speak to The Age last night, describing the club's plans for its home as "far too premature".

However, the club is also believed to be planning a proposal to the Victorian Multicultural Commission and has a solid relationship with the Australian Multicultural Foundation.

Foundation director Hass Dellal described the Kangaroos' project as "unique". "We are still in discussions but it will be a unique facility, a much-needed service which we believe will prove both innovative and practical."

Dr Dellal added that the AFL had already proved itself a national leader with its work in new and emerging communities. "The AFL already promotes social cohesion in a number of new communities across Australia and we believe this is just another promising project to help build new relationships and we have a strong commitment to developing projects and initiatives along these lines."