Join AFC Media highlight the activities that took place across the Continent in a bid to commemorate the hard work of women in Asian football and to encourage more women and young girls to develop a life-long passion for the beautiful game.
Bahrain
The AFC Women’s Football Day 2023 was marked by wide participation in Bahrain where 11 private schools joined hands with the Bahrain Football Association (BFA) to celebrate the day with students, coaches, and parents across the country.
With the festivities conducted at the BFA training ground, over 50 coaches – including those of the women’s national teams across various age-groups – were assisted by BFA administrators as they came together to make the day memorable for the 120 young girls who took part in the programme.
With the main purpose of highlighting the contribution of women in developing football in the country, the participants were also honoured through tokens of appreciation before the day drew to an end.
Bhutan
The AFC Women’s Football Day 2023 was a grand spectacle in Bhutan where it was celebrated by over 500 participants across several districts of the Kingdom.
The celebrations proved to be an opportune platform for the Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) to draw attention to the BFF Women’s and Girls’ Football Strategy 2023–2026, “Sowing the Seeds” which aims to lay a strong foundation for long term development of women’s football in Bhutan.
In regions like Bumthang, the festival found a place in the history books as it was the first time that mothers in the region were invited to participate in the activities whereas in Lhutse, the BFF collaborated with FIFA to inaugurate the Regional School Football Training Centers under its Talent Development Scheme.
In other districts like Sarpang, Trashigang and Thimphu, the organisers used the event as an opportunity to encourage the elder members of society to enable the community’s young girls to cultivate an interest in football.
The programme, which included teaching girls basic drills, was attended by several dignitaries from various stakeholders and highly appreciated, encouraging the BFF to organise more events for women and girls in the future.
North Korea
Approximately 100 women, including footballers, coaches and officials of the DPR Korea Football Association (DPRK FA) celebrated the AFC Women’s Football Day 2023 at the Pyongyang International Football School, which was attended by DPRK FA President Yun Jong Ho.
The event, which received considerable media coverage, saw the participation of former members of the national team who have represented the country in top-level competitions such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
The day-long celebrations included training the participants to control the ball as well as introducing them to several dribbling drills which earned the appreciation of the FA’s President, who stressed the need to raise public awareness of women’s football in the region.
Jordan
Joined by national team players, the Jordan Football Association (JFA) joined the AFC’s annual celebrations by giving over 100 women the chance to enjoy the day playing football among some of Jordan’s most well-known faces.
During the course of the day, the participants were divided into separate groups to focus on specific activities such as shooting, passing as well as small-sided games that lasted for 15 minutes.
Another interesting aspect of the festival was a “telematch” which saw approximately 100 participants, who were mostly players and coaches of Jordan’s women’s national teams, social media influencers and other media personalities as well as members of the Jordan Olympic Committee take part in 10-minute long matches.
With the celebrations being a huge success, the JFA moved one step forward in ushering in a more positive outlook towards the participation of women in football in the community.
Myanmar
The Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) General Secretary Ko Ko Thein launched the MFF Women Coaches Development Workshop on March 1 at the Federation’s headquarters which was attended by 55 female PE teachers, licensed coaches, and referees.
Meanwhile on March 4, the MFF organised the MFF Women’s Football Festival at Yangon’s Thuwunna Stadium which saw the widespread participation of 200 young girls and 40 coaches.
The festival was also attended by a number of renowned personalities such as the MFF Technical Director and the Director of the Yangon Region Sports and Physical Education Department, among others.
In the second half of the day, a friendly match was organised between star players of the Myanmar women’s national football team.
Before the activities ended, the 350 young girls along with the volunteers, coaches, and referees, were served refreshments and gifted souvenirs to mark the end of a successful event.
Nepal
Chaired by the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) President Pankaj Bikram Nembang, ANFA celebrated the AFC Women’s Football Day 2023 at the ANFA Complex to commemorate the efforts and achievements of women in football, not just in Asia but all over the world.
Under the supervision of ANFA’s Women’s Committee Coordinator Sarila Shrestha Maleku, the programme boasted varied activities which included a cultural programme as well as a friendly match which was played between the senior women’s national team of Nepal and the U-17 squad.
The event was also attended by a number of personalities associated with other sports and proved to be a joyous occasion of Nepal’s sporting community uniting to recognise the impact of the hard work of women in football across the world.
Palestine
In support of the contribution of Palestinian women in Asian football, the Palestine Football Federation (PFF) organised a 7v7 tournament at the Attarah Stadium for eight teams which comprised 130 women footballers from the various governorates of Palestine.
The eight teams were divided into two groups where they played six matches each in a round robin format. The two best placed teams from each group then qualified for the Semi-finals, the winners of which competed in the Final.
The tournament, which received widespread media coverage, featured the teams of Nadi Baladna, Jerusalem Talent Girls Academy, Nadi Beit laqia Club, Kufer Nemeh Youth Club, Ebal Club, Al Ezariah, Marj Ben Amer and eventual champions Al Bireh Youth.
Saudi Arabia
In conjunction with the International Women’s Day, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) hosted day-long activities for over 60 young girls at Riyadh’s Regional Training Center.
The event was especially significant as besides the children, as many as 15 mothers joined in on the celebrations, while another 20 women officials and doctors were also present to ensure the smooth execution of the programme.
The event began with a brief meet and greet session before a short warm-up exercise. Several small stations were also constructed to teach the participants basic drills following which they took part in small-sided games.
Thailand
The Football Association of Thailand (FA Thailand) saw close to 120 young girls flock to the grounds of the NIST International School Bangkok to observe the AFC Women’s Football Day 2023.
The event was packed with carefully designed activities where participating children were segregated into different groups and were taught drills by a lead coach.
Subsequently, each group was assigned its own coach in order to give better support to the participants. Finally, the youngsters took part in short, small-sided matches.
Turkmenistan
In cooperation with the National Centre for Special Olympics of Turkmenistan, the Football Federation of Turkmenistan (FFT) celebrated the AFC Women’s Football Day 2023 to popularise women’s football and instill a love for the game among young girls.
Close to one hundred girls attended the event and got the opportunity to learn valuable lessons such as the importance of team spirit and inclusivity.
The event was widely appreciated as it made efforts to include girls with learning or physical disabilities, underlining the AFC’s mission of giving people from all walks of life the chance to play football.
Timor-Leste
Girls across age-groups were welcomed at the Campo Democracia Training Field in Dili to harness the power of football in the quest to raise awareness around gender equality.
The event was attended by the Federacao de Futebol de Timor-Leste (FFTL) President, Francisco Jeronimo who hailed the efforts of the Federation’s staff, volunteers as well as the external stakeholders and expressed his desire to see an increase in participation from women in the future owing to activities such as the AFC Women’s Football Day.
The day ended on a memorable note where the women’s national team played a friendly match against the nation’s U-17 women’s side amidst a large crowd, which included several men who came out in numbers to show support to their female peers.