Adelaide’s new Head of Football Adam Kelly says creating a sense of belonging and purpose is essential to a successful sporting environment.

The former SANFL general manager was announced as the Crows new football boss on Monday after the Club undertook a thorough recruitment process.

Speaking to the media for the first time in his new role, Kelly emphasised the importance of creating a “culture of care”.

“When you’ve got purpose and belonging, you tend to thrive in life,” Kelly said.

“That’s certainly what we’ll be working on at the Club.

“When you build a culture of care, where you put other people first, work hard and you’re honest with each other, you build an environment that sets you up for success.”

His first call of business will be to get to know the players and staff.

“I’ve certainly met Matthew (Nicks), we enjoyed some great time together, but I haven’t met many of the players yet,” Kelly said.

“The key for me is to build those relationships - I’m excited to get to know my colleagues and immerse myself in the Club.”

After meeting Nicks during the recruitment process, Kelly was confident the pair’s values and vision were aligned.

“We sat down for a number of hours to talk about what was happening at the Club,” Kelly said.

“Talking about family and what’s really important, it was about building relationships.

“Those who are good at it, it comes naturally and that’s certainly something I found in Matthew.

“I can see we’re going to forge a strong relationship… we even compared notes on how we maintain our hairstyles.”

The Club was still yet to appoint its Head of Leadership and Culture, a process Kelly would be heavily involved in going forward.

“I’ll get across the needs of the role, help shape the role and meet with people in the coming weeks,” Kelly said.

Kelly will officially commence his new role in the new year.