Thompson will visit his hometown of Kyneton, around 85km north-west of Melbourne, to see his old club take on Kangaroo Flat and push for its first win of the season.
The 30-year-old's mother, brother and sister still live in Kyneton and he sees the club play a couple of games a year; a trip that's difficult to make because of his own career and home life, which includes three children.
"I don't probably get home as often as I'd like so I'm looking forward to catching up with all my old mates who are still playing at the club, and seeing a bit of country footy again," he said.
"I'm just one of the boys when I go back there. There's no airs or graces when you go back to your hometown. Kyneton is great like that. I can go back there and sit in the corner of the clubrooms and have a beer with the boys and it just feels like home again."
Eighteen Kangaroos players will make similar trips as part of the AFL's Community Football Weekend, an exercise Thompson is keen to support.
"I think it's just very important that you never forget where you came from," he said.
"It's great that the AFL boys are getting back to their home clubs and basically putting a little bit back in, even though we're not doing much – just going back and saying hello basically.
"You never forget where you came from because a lot of people put a lot of hours into you. Especially me as a young fella growing up, a lot of different volunteers … show you how to play footy and put a lot of time into you. It's great to get back there and say 'g'day' and see those faces again and shake their hands.
"I certainly haven't forgotten the kind people and what that footy club did for me as far as giving me a chance to play at the elite level."
Memories of his time at Kyneton include "the bus trips, playing juniors, going up to Bendigo, playing with all my local mates and a few shenanigans on the way home after wins and losses.
"It was a lot of good fun," he added.
With Thompson watching on, Kyneton will hope to get its season underway.
"Kyneton's a battling club at the moment," he said. "They've lost their first three but they've played the three top teams, so they've been a little bit unlucky to be hit by those sides in the first three weeks.
"But Kangaroo Flat's in a similar boat and it should be a pretty close game I'd say. Hopefully I can get back there and see a Tiger win."
AFL Community Football Weekend visits
Saturday, May 10
| Nathan Thompson | Kangaroo Flat v Kyneton | Bendigo FL |
| Leigh Harding | Bannockburn v East Geelong | Geelong & District FL |
| Corey Jones | Wycheproof-Narraport v Birchip-Watchem | North Central FL |
| Shannon Watt | SW District v Lexton (Inter League match) | Western Border FL |
| Michael Firrito | Gembrook-Cockatoo v Warburton-Millgrove | Yarra Valley Mountain DFL |
| Brady Rawlings | Old Westbourne v Werribee Amateurs | Victorian Amateur FA (D2) |
| Hamish McIntosh / Daniel Wells | Tarrawingee v Nth Wangaratta | Ovens & King FL |
| Adam Simpson / Lindsay Thomas | Heidelberg v Eltham | Northern FL |
| Daniel Harris | Avenel v Rushworth | Kyabram District FL |
| Sam Power | Balwyn (juniors) | Yarra Junior FL |
| Matt Campbell | Alice Springs | |
| Drew Petrie | Ballarat v North Ballarat City | Ballarat FL |
| Daniel Pratt / Ed Lower | North Ballarat v Braybrook | Victorian Womens FL |
| Shannon Grant | Altona v Glen Orden | Western Region FL |
| Leigh Brown | Woodside v Heyfield | North Gippsland FL |
