The lush green grass of the Arden St oval is a far cry from the red dust playing surfaces in Papunya, Northern Territory. 

Watching the North Melbourne players glide across the ground during a main training session a highlight for nine young boys, as they watched footy as they had never seen it before.

The group was in Melbourne on exchange with the Papunya Foundation and the goal of the trip; ‘to connect communities through football.’

Papunya is a remote town with a population of less than 300, and these boys play their footy barefoot and on red dirt.

Also watching on was blue eyed and blonde-haired, Thomas.

An eight-year-old from Norway and one of North Melbourne’s number one supporters, Thomas came with his parents to see the Roos train in person. 

Coming from different backgrounds, countries, cultures and upbringings, the boys were able to bond over their love of footy and their shared experience at Arden St with the Kangaroos. 

To learn more about the Papanuya Foundation go to: http://www.papunyafoundation.org/