Essendon celebrated the 2025 members of its James Hird Academy group with an end-of-year dinner event at Windy Hill in early October.

One of the Club's key programs, the JHA has been run since 2010, identifying and nurturing a mix of young talent and father-son prospects from both traditional and non-traditional AFL regions.

Through the academy, Essendon facilitates a curriculum to best prepare the youngsters for what an elite AFL lifestyle looks like, undergoing a training framework delivered by key staff including JHA Senior Coach Marty Allison and Development, VFL & Pathways Manager, James Polkinghorne, with the input of senior Dons players and officials - offering guidance on the day-to-day rigours required to take their footy to another level.

Members of this year's crop include exciting draft prospects Adam Sweid and Huss El Achkar, as well as father-son prospects in Koby Bewick, Alex Alessio and Noah Caracella - the latter two farewelling the program this year as 19-year-olds.

Sweid and El Achkar gained valuable exposure to the elite environment, training once a week with Essendon’s AFL program while balancing their school, Vic Metro and Calder Cannons commitments.

For this year's event, key Dons figures in defender Mason Redman, GM - AFL Daniel McPherson, and recruiting staff Rob Forster-Knight, Rohan O'Brien and Darren Farrugia were all in attendance to congratulate the players and their families on another successful year for the program.