By Mark Murray
WESTERN Region Football League (WRFL) chief executive John Batty said the AFL debut of former Spotswood Football Club junior Bachar Houli on Friday night reflected brightly on the competition.
Batty said Houli’s debut highlighted the pathway that aspiring league players had in front of them if they were prepared to work hard in their formative years.
Houli first started playing football with Spotswood and was quickly earmarked by many as a potential AFL star.
He made his top-level debut against the Kangaroos at Telstra Dome on after being drafted by the Bombers from the Western Jets with pick 42.
“It’s great for footy in the Western suburbs in general, I think,” Batty said.
“It shows that the pathway is there for people who want to make it at the top level.
“He is a bit of a cult figure already in the Newport and Spotswood area and will have plenty of support along the way.
“He is a product of the WRFL and we’re pretty proud of that.”
Batty said the first time he saw Houli play he was convinced he was destined to play at football’s elite level.
“He has always been very highly rated and you could tell he had something special,” he said.
“When people talked about Bachar it was never whether he was going to play AFL, but when.
“I’m sure he will do just fine.”
Houli is the first devout Muslim to play AFL, and Batty expected the AFL to use this in a positive way in the future.
“The AFL and Essendon are very smart and I’m sure in time Bachar will be a great role model,” he said.
“They had Michael Long become the ambassador for indigenous players in the competition and I can see Bachar doing a similar thing with his religion.
“But I’m sure at the moment all he and everyone else will be worrying about is establishing himself as a player.
“We wish him all the very best.”
