BACHAR Houli had to sneak out of home to play. David Rodan stumbled on the sport while looking for a rugby field. Nic Naitanui picked it up from talented indigenous neighbours.

The paths to the AFL of the 10 players the League appointed on Tuesday as multicultural ambassadors are as varied as their backgrounds.

But one thing they, and AFL boss Andrew Demetriou, have in common is a belief that the code is a way to help immigrant Australians feel included.

Sudanese-born North Melbourne rookie Majak Daw and Gold Coast's Nigerian-born youngster Joel Wilkinson, both subjected to racial vilification while representing their clubs last year, are also involved.

St Kilda's Leigh Montagna and Ahmed Saad, Collingwood's Harry O'Brien, and ex-rugby league converts Israel Folau (Greater Western Sydney) and Karmichael Hunt (Gold Coast), both of whom have Pacific islander heritage, are the other ambassadors.

The passion was clearly not contrived among the eight ambassadors who spoke at Tuesday's launch, including Daw, who said football was a haven for new arrivals from war-torn or third world countries.

"As soon as I got to a footy club, my family was involved, my brothers and sisters," he said.

"Footy's a great vehicle for multicultural people to get involved."

Richmond's Houli, whose family are Lebanese Muslims, will use his status to push sport in Islamic schools.

"Growing up we never had that," he said.

"We never had any form of inter-school sports, we were stuck with our studies."

Even convincing his own parents football was worthwhile took persistence.

"Early on I struggled, sneaking out every game in my first year was quite tough," Houli said.

"But within two years they became my biggest supporters."

Fijian-born Rodan is glad his parents' inability to find him a rugby union club during his early years in Melbourne meant he fell into Australian Football.

"On the way to church one Sunday, there was an oval next to the church," Rodan said.

"They said [the ball's] the same shape as a rugby ball but you can knock it on, so we'll throw you in there until we find a rugby team.

"I've been playing football ever since ... it made me feel involved and really part of the community."

Timing and geography also thrust West Coast star Naitanui, of Fijian descent, towards the indigenous code.

He grew up in Perth with Chris Yarran and Michael Walters, now with Carlton and Fremantle respectively, as neighbours, his two indigenous friends teaching him the sport in their street.

For former North Melbourne player, now AFL chief Demetriou, the program is as much passion project as marketing exercise.

The son of Cypriot immigrants said he did not need to be told about football's bonding potential.

"I've experienced first-hand how important sport is in engaging with the local community," Demetriou said.

The ambassadors add a new element to a multicultural program that has run since 2005.