Islamic Schools Kicking Goals at SANFL’s Bachar Houli Cup

By SANFL Media

More than 300 multicultural students from Islamic schools across Adelaide are being provided an opportunity to play and learn about Australian rules footy in the Bachar Houli Cup.

SANFL, together with Central District and West Adelaide football clubs, this week held the first of a two-day lightning carnival, with over 150 girls participating in modified nine-a-side matches at X Convenience Oval, Elizabeth.

This will be followed by a second Bachar Houli Cup next week at Hisense Stadium, Richmond for approximately 200 boys from participating schools – Pinnacle, Playford, Garden and Australian Islamic colleges in Adelaide.

Named after triple Richmond premiership player and devout Muslim Bachar Houli, the carnival is aimed at growing football participation for multicultural boys and girls in Years 5-8 and to highlight football pathways from Islamic schools through to SANFL and AFL.

“The Bachar Houli Cup is more than just football – it is providing a connection among Muslim youth in Adelaide, connecting the students and their families with community clubs and, most of all, about having fun through footy,” said SANFL Zone Development Leader and co-ordinator of the Bachar Houli Cup Tom Javor.

The Bachar Houli Cup is part of SANFL’s award-winning multicultural programs and the League’s partnership with the Bachar Houli Foundation.

Students interested in taking up the game are provided with information on how to connect with local community football clubs.

Javor said since the inaugural Bachar Houli Cup in 2021, already at least 30 Muslim boys and girls had registered to play football with a local community club.

In addition, he said more than 150 boys and girls were participating in seven new Auskick clinics being run by SANFL as part of the curriculum across five Islamic schools in Adelaide.

On the back of the Bachar Houli Cup in 2021, an interschool Australian football competition between Australian Islamic College Adelaide and Pinnacle College was now held, an initiative expected to expand to other Islamic schools in the next year.