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Grassroots specialists from 13 Member Associations (MAs) of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) met virtually on Tuesday, April 18 to discuss strategy and exchange ideas for the development of grassroots football in Asia.
Led by AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh, the highly engaging meeting proved to be an excellent platform for experts from all over Asia to discuss ways to expand the reach of the grassroots movement across the Continent.
The meeting began with the panel members receiving updates on the AFC Grassroots Charter which currently endorses 39 members comprising five Gold members, 10 silver members and 24 members at the bronze level.
Goals for the near future were also set out during the meeting which included increasing the number of members under the Charter, while encouraging more members to work towards a gold level endorsement, and establishing a uniform data collection system.
The discussion paved the way for the panel members to share the various activities undertaken by their respective MAs which included impressive initiatives such as anti-bullying campaigns and collaborating with professional clubs to develop infrastructure at the grassroots level.
This was followed by a constructive dialogue among the panel members where they discussed the best ways to increase mass participation at the grassroots level, which is intrinsic to the AFC’s grassroots philosophy.
“It is important to get children excited at the prospect of playing football and in this regard, the success of Asian teams at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been an excellent motivational factor.
“To see their national teams do well on the biggest stages helps them feel more connected to the sport and we must harness this energy and channelise it in a way that more and more children develop a keen interest in football,” explained Roxburgh.
Before the meeting drew to an end, the attention also shifted towards the many activities that are set to take place in the upcoming months, key among them being the 10th anniversary of the AFC Grassroots Football Day, and the AFC Grassroots Conference which is set to take place physically for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reflecting on the fast developing grassroots ecosystems in the various MAs, Roxburgh added, “With the establishment of the AFC Grassroots Charter, we set the foundation but now we need to focus on nurturing the various branches that are emerging out of it that can take our sport to the next level.”
