SAHAR Ageed has been to two games of football in her life, both in Australia.

But the 28-year-old Iraqi refugee now living in Roxburgh Park will see a few more games this year after becoming the 10,000th person to go through the Western Bulldogs Multicultural Match Visit program on Friday night, which gives newcomers to Australia the chance to watch the red, white and blue.

Ms Ageed says her favourite thing about Australian Rules football is that it is a unique game.

“I love it because it’s totally different. There’s people that are crazy mad about this game, and we don’t have this game in Iraq,” she said at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“When I first saw it, they’re using their hands and they can’t do this (in soccer).”

The former Baghdad resident said she was not allowed to attend games of soccer in her homeland and, coincidentally, the Friday night match against Melbourne was dominated by pink ponchos raising funds for breast cancer research as part of the Women’s Round.

“It’s really nice (coming to an AFL game) because as you can see there are a lot of ladies here. In Iraq, we cannot go to football because it’s only for men.

“Only people with authority, like the wife of the president, they can go because they have authority and they have people who guard them.

“But normal people can’t go. So I think it’s a really good thing to come, and be equal.”

Working for AMES (Adult Multicultural Education Services) in Footscray, Ms Ageed is well and truly in the heart of Bulldogs territory, helping recently arrived immigrants settle into Australian society.

She came to Australia in 2006 after experiencing severe hardship in her homeland because of her role as an interpreter for a private company.

“I lived 22 years in Baghdad, so pretty much all my life,” she said. “Me and my sister were working in the green zone, some people found out and started to threaten us.

“One day my sister was working there and a rocket hit where she was working. Her boss died and she was injured seriously and she had operations and all that, and she spent two weeks in the hospital.

“And then we decided we had to leave because the threats kept coming, so we left to Turkey, and from there we flew over here.”

Ms Ageed said coming to Australia was easier for her than for most refugees as she already had her tongue around the English language.

“To tell you the truth, it wasn’t that hard because I already had some English, so that made it easier for me. Trying to merge with community and talking to people, it made it easier.”

She now helps refugees feel comfortable in the community.

“We help people settle in Australia, and get involved with them in their first six months.”

Ms Ageed has now racked up two appearances at Bulldogs games, both have been at the MCG, a ground she was in awe of.

“It’s huge. It’s nothing like the one we had in Iraq. I heard it can hold 100,000. I didn’t go to any of the matches in Iraq, but I know it’s the biggest I’ve ever seen.”

The Bulldogs fan said he favourite players were Jason Akermanis and Barry Hall.

“I like Aka and the other guy, the bald guy … Barry Hall. I love them both. But I like Aka more, I like his hair, it’s totally different and he’s really good.”

AFL multicultural development officer Nish Moses said Friday night’s match was one of the biggest turnouts of newly arrived migrants to watch the game.

“We’ve got 1500 people coming, and it’s a way for them to integrate into Australian society and that’s the whole idea behind the program. Hopefully we can achieve something.

“There’s multicultural officers at each club, but tonight is the biggest in terms of the most tickets supplied, and probably because we’ve got a bigger range to cover in terms of the western region.”

Mr Moses said the feedback had been nothing but positive, giving refugees the chance to enjoy the spectacle of Australian football for two hours.

“It’s all been amazingly positive, not just the football but the social inclusion. I got feedback the other week saying that some refugees came to the game and they had been through tremendous hardships, and the game was their chance to sit back and have a laugh. If we can provide that through Australian football that is awesome.”

Ms Ageed will receive a prize pack from the Bulldogs, including tickets to Bulldogs games in 2010 as part of the prize for being the 10,000th person through the program.