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Technical development in Asia continued to break new ground at the inaugural Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Technical Directors’ Conference, which closed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today.
Themed as The Future of Technical Development in Asia the three-day break-through conference pieced together the key elements of technical development, which include the grassroots movement, youth football and coach education and women’s football.
The approach will play a pivotal role in bringing to life the AFC’s aspirations in the Vision and Mission launched last year which set an objective of providing support to create more successful Asian teams on the global stage.
The desire to strengthen the foundations of Asian football was clear as participants offered their total endorsement for the AFC’s landmark technical programmes which were placed at the forefront of the agenda during the conference – the AFC Coaching Convention, AFC Youth Scheme and AFC Grassroots Charter.
Encouraged by the presentations, B. Sathianathan, Assistant Technical Director of the Football Association of Malaysia, highlighted the importance for all Member Associations (MA) to implement the new programmes cohesively, stressing: “For the first time, Asia now has precise benchmarks and guidelines in the three main areas of development. This is an eye-opener and adds a new dimension for football in the continent.
“Moving from here, we now have a common understanding on the action plans needed to take our programmes to the next level. It is essential for us to begin the process together to ensure that our continent is progressing systematically.”
During the three days, the technical directors were given in-depth examples of best practices in Europe and also gleaned insights from two AFC MAs – Australia and Japan – who are reaping the benefits of implementing comprehensive technical development programmes.
Setting the tone on the second day of the conference, Frank Ludolph, UEFA’s Head of Football Education Services, and Bernd Stober from the German Football Association (DFB) shared their insights on the key success factors in Europe. Eric Abrams, Technical Director of Football Federation of Australia, who also sits on the AFC Coach Education Panel, presented Australia’s implementation of the AFC Coaching Convention.
“Quality coach education, through the AFC Coach Convention, will bring the playing philosophy from the National Football Curriculum to life, improving the overall football quality of Australian football and more specifically, will assist to embed the Australian DNA in the next generation of talented players.
“Ultimately, it plays a key role in achieving our desired outcomes to produce a pool of world-class players and making football the most popular sport in Australia,” said Abrams.
Similarly, Kageyama Masanaga, coaching instructor from the Japan Football Association and AFC Youth Panel member, stressed the need for a more systematic approach to enhancing the quality of youth academies in the continent.
Speaking on the last day of the conference, Robin Russell, AFC Grassroots Consultant, highlighted the advantages of the AFC Grassroots Charter, adding: “The AFC Grassroots Charter will stimulate the environment and establish the benchmark for all MAs to improve through a unified and dynamic system. In the long term, it will raise the standards and foundations for football to thrive in Asia.”
In his closing remarks, AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh added: “This conference brings together the essential elements of the technical development pyramid against the backdrop of the world’s best practices. Moving forward, the AFC will work closely with its MAs though the respective panels to ensure the holistic growth of the game across the continent.
“I believe events like this in Kuala Lumpur demonstrate the lengths that the AFC are prepared to go in supporting the MAs, and also the improvement and impact that there have been in the area of Technical Development in the last two years.”
