Adam Sweid and Hussien El Achkar earned AFL contracts through the National Draft last week.
Both players were drafted last week, becoming the seventh and eighth Muslims to reach the top flight of AFL.
Out of the BHF, Sweid and El Achkar become the second and third academy graduates to be drafted after Saad El-Hawli, who was taken by the Bombers with Pick No.13 in the 2024 AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
Adam Sweid had just graduated from Year 12 at Islamic College of Sport, marking an additional milestone for himself, while El Achkar coached many of the students at Islamic College of Sport as a High Performance coach from BHF.
Sweid and El Achkar have been participants of BHF academies since the age of 12, progressing all the way through to the age of 18.
Both have been Bachar Houli Medallists in the past and participants of the Foundation’s international Elite Performance Academy in the United Arab Emirates on multiple occasions.
Sweid, a powerful mid/forward, propelled his name into first-round calculations after a stellar season in the Coates Talent League (CTL) and the AFL National Championships in 2025.
Sweid averaged 25 disposals for the Calder Cannons in the CTL to finish 11th in the league’s total disposal count. He also earned All-Australian honours after averaging 17 possessions for Vic Metro.
Speaking to fremantlefc.com.au last Wednesday night, Sweid said “The nerves were skyrocketing. I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”
“It was a long night. Obviously, we came here at 7 o’clock for picks one to 25, but it was an amazing experience and I’m just so happy you guys (Freo) chose me, and I’m excited to go to Perth,” Sweid said.
El Achkar, an Essendon Next Generation Academy (NGA)/James Hird Academy participant, landed at the Bombers after the Club matched Richmond’s bid at pick No. 53.
This season, the livewire forward was a stand-out performer for the Cannons, booting 28 goals from 11 outings to finish equal-fourth in the competition’s goal-kicking ranks, and leading goalkicker for the side.
A stand-out performance for El Achkar this year came against the Allies, where he slotted three goals for Vic Metro. He also booted a bag of six against the Sandringham Dragons this season.
