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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) conducted an assessment visit to the Guam Football Association (GFA) as part of the AFC Women’s Assistance Programme (WAP) from April 22-26, 2023, further underlining its resolve in becoming the leading Confederation in the world by maximising the capabilities of its Member Associations (MAs), particularly in women’s football.
During the course of the visit, AFC’s Head of Women’s Football, Bai Lili, met with officials of the GFA, including the Association’s President Valentino San Gil, General Secretary Joseph Cepeda, and Vice-President and Chairperson of Women’s Committee, Tina Esteves, to share the AFC’s Women’s Football Development Plan and provide the GFA with the right tools to develop women’s football in the country, through the AFC WAP.
With Guam hosting the Group G matches of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup™ Round 1 Qualifiers, the AFC delegation got the opportunity to watch the national youth team perform at a Continental level which helped them provide technical expertise on the approach to be undertaken by the GFA in achieving the holistic development of women’s football.
Bai Lili also met with the GFA’s Executive Committee Members, Technical Director, Ross Awa, coaches of the youth national teams as well as Presidents of clubs competing in the nation’s domestic leagues and briefed them on the latest international trends that they can implement in their domestic systems to help the women’s game evolve further.
Speaking of the impact of the AFC’s WAP visit, Awa said: “The GFA expresses its gratitude to the AFC for arranging a visit that allowed the Confederation’s Head of Women’s Football share her vast knowledge and expertise with us.
“The insights have been immensely valuable and will surely lead to the further growth and improvement across all women’s teams in Guam. We are grateful for the support and guidance provided by the Women’s Assistance Programme.”
“With the AFC’s support, the recommendations made on this visit will guide us in achieving the vision established in our Strategic Plan and encourage us to ensure an overall enhancement of women’s football on the island.”
The concerted efforts by the GFA to promote and develop the women’s game was also noted with the Association’s leadership outlining its intent to further elevate the standards of the women’s game in the Pacific Island.
With a population of 170,000, football is quickly emerging as the most popular sport, with its women’s national team gaining particular attention owing to the GFA’s continuous efforts to improve their FIFA ranking through the comprehensive development of women’s football.
