The remote Arnhem Land community, located 580km east of Darwin and around 3,800 km from Caloundra, has long embraced the Territory’s love for Aussie rules.

However until now, local children had no dedicated team of their own.

That’s changing, with efforts underway to form an under-14s squad — an initiative that has been met with excitement from the town’s kids.

Ramingining Local Authority member and footy advocate Fabian Garawirrtja is working with the Council’s Youth Sports and Recreation team to lock in a coach and playing opportunities against nearby communities.

“Footy is big here, the kids love it,” he said.

“I tell these young kids, one day you could play in the NTFL … in AFL … or even NRL.”

The breakthrough moment came when Caloundra Junior AFL Club discovered nearly 300 footy items — boots, guernseys, and shorts — during a club clean-up.

Former club secretary Belinda Robinson saw an opportunity to make a difference.

“I had seen the Remote OpShop Facebook page and thought, ‘Why not reach out to rural communities?’” Ms Robinson said.

“We ended up sending 10 parcels to different communities, including Ramingining.”

Wendy Cox, volunteer manager of the Ramingining Miyalkurruwung Co-operative Op-Shop, stored the donated gear safely through the wet season, ready for the team to use in 2025.

“The community is very, very happy — especially the kids,” Mr Garawirrtja said.

“Thank you very much.”

Ms Cox, known fondly as ‘Yapa’ by locals, has run the op-shop single-handedly for six years.

While footy gear is the latest win, the shop has been a lifeline for Ramingining, supplying clothing, blankets, and essentials where needed.

“It’s a community op-shop — one day I’d love for it to be run by the Indigenous,” she said.

“People are so generous, and nothing goes to waste.”

With their new gear ready to go, the next step for Ramingining’s kids is to take to the field.

And for many, this is just the beginning of their footy dream.