Friday , March 29 2024

AFC Grassroots Conference charts new boundaries!

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) underlined the importance in developing grassroots football in Asia as 100 grassroots representatives from 41 MAs gathered for the second AFC Grassroots Conference in the Malaysian capital on Tuesday, November 13.

Since its launch two years ago, the AFC Grassroots Conference has reinforced its vision to ensure that football remains the most popular sport in Asia.

“Some people play for recreation, while others play in serious, regular competitions. Very, very few play professionally but we have to remember that all top stars were once grassroots players. Grassroots football is about mass participation – it is football for all,” said AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh.

The three-day conference will not only provide a timely retrospective of what the Asian football family has achieved since 2016, but also exchange ideas, discuss grassroots football, make proposals for future developments and foster further exchange between the MAs.

AFC Grassroots manager Masahiro Sugiyama gave the participants an overview of the latest developments in grassroots following the success of the AFC Grassroots Football Day which saw a new participation record with 61,027 people from 41 MAs.

Participants also shared their views on the meaning of grassroots football and shared their personal experiences of the grassroots game.

“Since 2001 we have concentrated on grassroots and have seen very positive results through the years. Now, we have 15 grassroots centres all over the country and have also focused on the less fortunate, including centres for the handicapped and cerebral palsy. It’s important for us to see the children and families embrace the beauty of the game and we are looking forward to developing the sport even further,” said Isam Altally from Jordan.

Day Two will kick off with a practical demonstration of a Grassroots Festival at the AFC House. This will be followed by a tribute to the unsung heroes of grassroots football with a first-ever AFC Special Grassroots Awards ceremony.

Participants will then hear about the evaluation process, which was used in Japan and Australia to endorse both countries in the AFC Grassroots Charter at Gold level – the benchmark standard.

Grassroots football expert/specialist Timo Huttunen from Finland will be interviewed on Day Three about the progressive grassroots work which has taken place in his country over the last 20 years. He will share his vast experience with Asian colleagues.

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