Bachar Houli’s hot form across the past few weeks has fittingly intertwined with the initial signings to Richmond’s inaugural AFL Women’s team.
Both are trademarks of the AFL’s now brilliantly diverse game, an area the code is world leaders in according to Richmond senior coach, Damien Hardwick.
Speaking at the AFL’s recent Iftar Dinner celebrating Muslim culture across the competition, Hardwick reflected on how far the game had come.
“When I first started playing 25 years ago, if you had asked me if there was going to be Muslims dominating AFL football or a women’s league, I would be thinking there’s no way,” he told guests at the dinner.
“One of the great things about sport in particular AFL is the diverse personnel and groups that we have within our industry and how it is all encompassing about what and who we are.”
The Tigers have one of the most diverse playing lists in the AFL, something that reaches across the Club’s workforce as well.
“We’ve got (Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator) Rana (Hussain) and Ali Fahour who has just joined us, I think the greatest thing that it can do is that it can bring people together,” Hardwick said.
“The learnings I’ve got from having people such as Bachar and Rana in our organisation is incredible and that’s one of the benefits of sport and how good it can be, and I am very privileged to be a part of it.”
An intricacy of Houli’s AFL life is of course his management during Ramadan, something Hardwick does not believe has ever posed an issue.
“I can guarantee Bachar has played some of his best footy during these months (Ramadan) every year,” he said.
“We certainly temper Bachar’s sessions during this time, but he looks after himself very well. If I had more Bachar Houli’s, my work week would be halved.”
Houli also spoke at the Iftar, announcing the Bachar Houli Program’s first charity partner, Human Appeal Australia (HAA).
HAA, who will partner the program for at least three years, works across several charitable causes in the social, educational and International Development space with an aim to invest in long term solutions to develop underprivileged communities.
The organisation’s Head of Community Care, Mr Amin El-Bureeny, said that in line with the Bachar Houli Program, HAA believed all youth had potential and were capable of success.
“Many don’t know how to turn that potential into something productive and beneficial to themselves and others, which is where along with the Bachar Houli Program we can have a profound impact,” he said.
In just five years the Bachar Houli Program has developed a reach of over 35,000 participants.
