THE Northern Fury's bold A-League ambitions have received a significant national boost after the appointment of high-profile football figure Bonita Mersiades.

Mersiades, a one-time head of corporate and public affairs for Football Federation Australia, was once regarded as one of the most powerful women in Australian sport.

With her Australia-wide contacts, Fury management believe they have taken a big step forward.

Mersiades will press Northern's case for future admission into the top-flight competition with local, state and federal governments as well as with the A-League's 10 current clubs.

"It's a stakeholder engagement role," she said of her position with the club.

"It's about selling that message, promoting that message, to people who are not here in North Queensland … that don't understand the spirit around the Northern Fury.

"It's important for key stakeholders in the game, whether they be FFA, A-League clubs, people in government or media in other parts of Australia, to understand the Fury means business.

"The Fury are here to stay."

Mersiades has a long history with the sport in Australia, including being the Socceroos' manager during the 1990s.

She was at FFA when the original Fury, known as North Queensland, were admitted to the A-League in 2009 and believes their 2011 axing was an "injustice".

It is a widely-shared consensus she believes can help the club's top-flight rebirth.

"There is this sense that they were hard done by and there is some unfinished business in respect of the Northern Fury," said Mersiades, controversially forced out of her FFA role in 2010.

"It's also important (for nat­ional interests) to understand the difference between North Queensland Fury back in 2008 and Northern Fury in 2013.

"This time it is building from the ground up, rather than just being imposed for other reasons."

After former A-League coach with the NQ Fury and Perth Glory Ian Ferguson was installed as coaching director, Mersiades' appointment is another sign that Northern are prepared to back up their ambitious talk by walking the walk.

The club has representative teams from under-12 through to National Premier League level.

By 2015-16 the Fury plan to have a team admitted to the National Youth League and the W-League a year later before making a push for their A-League return.

Mersiades said Northern was doing most things right for when FFA considered expansion.

"Among Australian Football there have been great people that have played the game from this area of the country and I think it's important for young kids, in particular, to have something to aspire to and Fury gives that," she said.

The Fury's proposed membership/ownership program will be released in the new year.