AT the beginning of the season, three young boys from Thailand made a decision to play football for the Under 17s at Oak Park.
Last year Thananit Chotimanee (Arm), Thanachot Chotimanee (Oil) and Sueksit Vachirakumthorn (Mai), relocated to Australia after spending the school holidays here with their aunt and uncle.
After some early difficulties enrolling the boys in school, they were successfully accepted at Hume Secondary College, where they currently attend.
Their uncle is a mad North Melbourne supporter, and having exposed the boys to his beloved Kangas, the boys’ focus soon shifted from soccer to footy.
They often came down to JP Fawkner Reserve during preseason to practice their goal-kicking skills after going to North Melbourne games.
Once the boys had returned from Thailand last Christmas, their uncle asked them if they wanted to try out for either soccer or footy.
The choice was footy and the club was Oak Park.
They wanted to play in Kangaroo colours.
Arm has really taken to the game and loves anything North Melbourne, Mai is very good at soccer but as Oil was particularly keen and is pretty determined, their uncle believes Oil may have influenced their decision to try out football at Oak Park.
The boys are very reserved around new people and new environments, so it has been a terrific way of meeting new people and really getting involved in a uniquely Australian experience.
This has also been a great way for the boys to connect and have a common interest with their uncle.
Arm
“I feel pretty good playing for the club. I enjoy playing with my team mates. First when I saw AFL, I really enjoyed watching the game and I found it really interesting. I started playing footy with my friends and loved it. I love watching AFL and I go for North Melbourne. It is really tough playing for the club as it is my first year in Australia, so to be able to get better I need to do some more training and watch more games to get experience. I feel so lucky to get into the team and kicking my first goal was the best moment for me in football.”
Oil
“I feel pretty awesome to play for Oak Park Football Club and am very joyful with the games and my team mates. My team mates always look after me. I love football because I like AFL and go for North Melbourne, so that’s why I love the game so much. I wanted to play for Oak Park because I always come down to play football, but that day when Tim (coach) saw me and said I could join the team, that is when I really wanted to play for Oak Park. I look forward to my skills getting better.”
Mai
“When I came to Australia the first time, I saw AFL. I thought it was American Football at first. Uncle Luke took me down to the Oak Park to walk with the dog and we started to kick the football around. I started to really like it when my uncle took me to see North Melbourne. I like footy because we can use handball, kicking and hard tackles as I like to play hard ball.”
