The National Senior Boys Academy involves a seven-day residential leadership and football development camp for talented 15 to 18-year-old boys from an Islamic background across Australia.
The talent-based academy provides high-performance training, education, and mentoring, and places a strong emphasis on developing leadership and growing Islamic identity.
The Academy is led by passionate and dedicated BHF coaches, staff and mentors, including former AFL footballers Bachar Houli and Ahmed Saad.
The National Senior Boys Academy is the pathway into the Bachar Houli Foundation’s ‘Elite Performance Academy’, which involves the twelve best Muslim footballers being chosen to take part in a 12-month program that focuses on advanced football development, and enhancing their sense of identity as young Australian Muslims.
Part of the Elite Performance Academy is an eight-day international camp in the United Arab Emirates.
The Junior Boys Academy is a twelve-month program which includes a three-day non-residential leadership and development camp for 12 to 14-year-old boys from an Islamic background. The Academy focuses on introducing the basic fundamentals of football development, peak performance, leadership and identity.
The Academy uses football as a vehicle to promote mental/physical health and well-being, strengthen cultural identity through Islamic education, and develop leadership skills to inspire the next generation of proud Muslim leaders.
As part of the Junior Boys Academy, participants are mentored by Bachar Houli and Ahmed Saad who both share personal experiences of resilience, decision-making, and social inclusion.
The Academy framework has been developed by subject matter experts providing an industry-leading standard curriculum and delivered by experienced and dedicated staff.
The Bachar Houli Foundation’s Elite Performance Academy involves a 12-month program that focuses on developing the twelve best participants from the Senior Boys Academy as footballers and enhancing their sense of identity as young Australian Muslims.
The cornerstone of the Elite Performance Academy is an eight-day international camp in the United Arab Emirates. Led by Bachar Houli, Ahmed Saad and Ali Fahour, the Academy – taking place across Abu Dhabi and Dubai – is designed to deepen the participant’s leadership skills, cultural awareness, life skills, and their footballing ability.
Powered by the Bachar Houli Foundation, the Islamic College of Sport’s Soccer Academy is a three-day non-residential leadership and soccer development program.
Targeting boys aged 14 to 16 years old, the academy emphasises the basics of soccer development, peak performance, leadership, and identity – aiming to foster both athletic and personal growth in participants.
The Coaching Pathways Program is an initiative designed to provide aspiring Muslim coaches the opportunity to fast-track their development and increase technical skills.
The program is delivered by experienced AFL coaches and is supported by the AFL’s National Coaching Program by providing accreditation and coaching pathways.
The selected coaches will participate in the BHF National and State Academies, and engage in a 12-month Coaching Pathway Program.
In previous years, Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark ‘Chocco’ Williams and current Richmond coach Adem Yze have been involved as mentors.
