Huss El Achkar last wore the red and white of Glenroy in 2020, however his impact has extended long beyond his tenure with his first junior Club.

The dynamic small forward is among a growing crop of Lebanese and culturally diverse players in the AFL – in just the last two seasons, Essendon have already blooded several debutants in Isaac Kako (Iraq), Jayden Nguyen (Vietnam) and Saad El-Hawli who proudly play a massive hand in supporting their respective ethnic communities.

In a North-West area with a prominent Lebanese community, Glenroy – the home of El Achkar’s first 75 games’ worth of juniors – are proud of their alum and continue to do great work in creating an inclusive space for all kids making their start to grassroots footy. 

We spoke to their Football Director Oscar Jebaseelan about the growth of the Glenroy program and the impact of today’s crop such as El Achkar inspiring kids to live out their dreams.

Jebaseelan on… Huss’ impact 

“Having someone like Huss that started his career with us and played his first 70-odd junior games here - one of the few AFL players to come through our system and probably the only Lebanese player - It's pretty big for these kids to have someone to look up to and idolise. 

“In previous generations, that's never been the case (having someone to aspire to).

That’s why it is pretty important that we continue to use players like Huss as a platform for the Lebanese community and for future generations here at Glenroy.

“At the end of the day, even when he’s on the MCG kicking goals, he knows it all started as an eight-year-old kicking goals at ‘Sunny Sewell’ (Reserve).” 

Jebaseelan on… being in Essendon’s backyard

“It makes a big impact having these players close by. Isaac Kako’s always appearing at the Northern Saints, it's good to have these players around the corner. 

“They all want to follow in those footsteps and know they can take the same pathway. It shows these kids that the AFL isn't an impossible dream. 

“Huss, Isaac, these guys all started in the exact same position as these kids 10 years ago.” 

Jebaseelan on… pathways

“In this North-West community especially, we’re seeing more and more culturally diverse players come through the systems of Essendon’s NGA, Calder Cannons, Vic Metro, the VFL… it has a huge, positive effect on what we’re trying to do as a Club. 

“Even for a lot of these young people that don't come from football families, we can show them the path to follow the same dream that Huss shared with a lot of our 10-year-olds nowadays. 

“Our AusKick numbers over the last two years have grown by nearly 300 per cent.

“We’re up to around 56 kids now, we’re continuing to build our junior program back up and we’re slowly starting to see more and more Lebanese kids come through the community.” 

Jebaseelan on… Glenroy’s efforts in the community

“We have a really strong Lebanese community in Glenroy, so we obviously do a lot to try and give back to them. We run a ‘free chips and nuggets’ every Thursday night at training, we’ll always run halal options and get two separate barbecues going. 

“Essendon and all 18 clubs are really starting to embrace that now, proving that footy was made not just for one person but for everyone. That’s the main thing at Glenroy that we're trying to point out and promote. 

“We're big on making sure our football program is very affordable. We even try to alternate some of our training sessions to support the kids while Ramadan is on in-season. 

“We want to give them the chance to take the next step in their football and in their life. These athletes, they can provide really important life lessons and give them reason to believe they can make it.”

Jebaseelan on… player platforms, setting an example

“If you ever ask the kids who their favourite players are, you’ll hear a lot of ‘I like Huss, I like Saad El-Hawli.’

“We’re seeing these players slowly become the face and the mantle of the entire Lebanese community, and that's why they can have such a big impact - not just on our football club, but all the clubs and community organisations that surround Glenroy. 

“As I mentioned before, a lot of these kids growing up wouldn’t have had the same opportunity 10 or 15 years ago. Not even just the Lebanese community either – through Jayden Nguyen we have an inspired bunch of kids in the Vietnamese community, Iraqi kids for Kako, et cetera. 

“Having these idols in their same cultures, they now have the opportunity to look and go, ‘if they can do it, why can't I?’” 

Essendon’s Community Game takes place against Sydney at the MCG this Sunday as part of the AFL’s Cultural Heritage Series.

Watch 'Playing on a Prayer', the ABC documentary around El Achkar's journey into the AFL system.