A proud GIANT tradition continued at the VAILO Community Centre on Thursday night as the club and the Bachar Houli Foundation celebrated the ninth annual GIANTS Iftar Dinner.
One of the most popular events on the club’s calendar, the GIANTS welcomed more than 400 guests through their doors for the special event to bring the local community together to embrace cultural diversity and celebrate the breaking of the fast during Ramadan.
The occasion featured several special guests, with numerous GIANTS AFL and AFLW players on hand, with a panel consisting of GIANTS AFL head coach Adam Kingsley, AFL vice-captain Stephen Coniglio, practicing Muslim and GIANTS AFLW star Haneen Zreika, alongside former AFL stars and fellow proud Muslims Bachar Houli and Ahmed Saad.
Coniglio, one of the club’s drivers around inclusivity and engaging with youth in the Western Sydney community, said Thursday’s event was a highlight of the footy calendar.
“It’s one of the events on the calendar that not only players, but the whole staff and community look forward to, it’s an incredible event,” Coniglio said.
“The amount of people that keep turning up every year, and to see it grow the way it has, is just phenomenal.
“At the GIANTS we want to be really entrenched in the Western Sydney community and this is just one of the ways that we are able to do that.
“The multiculturalism here [in Western Sydney], for me, is unlike anywhere in Australia and it’s something that for me, when I came over [to the club], I really connected with straight away.
“Being able to be open and accessible and being able to have fans and everyone come to an event like this is something that’s really important to the club.”
GIANTS Executive General Manager of Community and Inclusion, Ali Faraj, was excited to see the event continue to grow.
“The numbers increase year on year and the community spirit on show is just amazing,” Faraj said.
“It’s such a special event for us and the community and it really gives our players an opportunity to become more educated on the community they represent.
“It’s such a fantastic moment for the club and the community to come together to learn more about each other.
“Seeing the players smiling and interacting with kids and the community and trying new foods was great to see, and the best thing is that the event is for people from all walks of life and it’s great for them to experience what Iftar is and to learn more about other cultures.”
One of the most popular events on the club’s calendar, the GIANTS - in conjunction with the @BHFoundationAU - celebrated our annual Iftar dinner tonight 🧡 pic.twitter.com/8HVlgr0a39
— GWS GIANTS (@GWSGIANTS) March 14, 2024
Houli, who has been involved with the GIANTS through his foundation for several years now, was also thrilled to see such a strong turnout.
“Events like this are just absolutely amazing,” the 232-game former Richmond star said.
“Football is great game and a code that brings people together and that’s what we do, we use football to bring people and communities together to celebrate something special in the Islamic calendar which is obviously the month of Ramadan.
“We’ve definitely grown and we [the AFL] are certainly the leading code when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
“The event is a credit to the GIANTS for the amazing work they’ve done in all aspects of inclusion and it’s great to look around and see all the diverse backgrounds here at the event.”
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the event in 2025, organisers said they’re already looking forward to next year’s event.
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from dawn to sunset. It is a time of spiritual discipline, of deep contemplation of one's relationship with God, prayer, increased charity and generosity, and study of the Quran. Iftar means ‘break of fast’.
