PRESTON City Oval is not known as a scene of epiphanies, but it was at this suburban Melbourne ground five months ago when Ahmed Saad realised he might be able to play at the top level.

Saad had just recorded a best on ground performance, booting five goals, for the Northern Bullants against VFL powerhouse Williamstown.

It was one of several stellar performances that resulted in St Kilda negotiating to secure him at the recent AFL Trade Week, but according to Saad, it was the day he gained true self-belief.

"I played on Brennan Stack from the Bulldogs and I kicked five on him. After that I was pretty confident," Saad said on his first official day at St Kilda's base in Seaford.

"I've only been playing for four or five years and … with the experienced coaching and full-time training [at AFL level] I've got a lot of improvement to make."

As a player who had previously nominated for a draft, Saad was bound to Greater Western Sydney. But the Giants gave him and Port Adelaide Magpies forward Terry Milera to St Kilda in exchange for moving from pick 25 to pick 20 in the NAB AFL Draft.

Saad only picked up Australian football at the age of 16 after a childhood love of soccer that emerged from spending his formative years in Egypt.

He said he knew little about the game when he took it up late in his teenage years, but soon found himself rapidly improving.

"I didn't know much about footy back then. I kept playing and I enjoyed it and thought I want to get better and better," he said.

"I never thought AFL would come into play but luckily it did and I'm grateful for the opportunities."

Saad's arrival at St Kilda makes him the second practicing Muslim on an AFL list after Richmond's Bachar Houli.

But while Houli has publically spoken on many occasions about how he had to sneak out of the house to indulge in his love of a sport his parents didn't appreciate, Saad said his entire family quickly grew to love the Australian game.

"They are footy heads. We've got different supporters in the whole family. They have always enjoyed footy and that wasn't a problem at all," he said.

One challenge Houli has faced since he was drafted by Essendon in 2006 has been performing as an elite athlete while also practicing Ramadan, the Muslim tradition of fasting for a month.

Saad has already spoken with the St Kilda dietary and fitness teams about how to combine his two obligations but says he is already used to the practice.

"I've been doing Ramadan since I was eight so it hasn't been a problem for me. When I was playing VFL I'd train at night three times a week. By the time I'd get to training I'd only have 15-20 minutes left until I could actually eat. I’d train and have some water after," he said.

"It's going to be interesting seeing how I deal with it when I'm training during the day. It's something I'm sure I'm going to work out with the coaches and the staff."

Luke Holmesby covers St Kilda news for AFL.com.au and saints.com.au. Follow him on twitter - @AFL_LHolmesby

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs