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The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) lent its support to the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) as the latter conducted the SAFF Social Responsibility Seminar 2025, which took place from November 30 to December 1.
The seminar was yet another demonstration of the AFC’s Vision and Mission of working in close partnership with its Member Associations (MAs) and Regional Associations (RAs) to leverage the power of the beautiful game as a force for social good.
The programme brought together representatives from all seven SAFF Member Associations, namely, the All India Football Federation, All Nepal Football Association, Bangladesh Football Federation, Bhutan Football Federation, Football Association of Maldives, Pakistan Football Federation, and Football Federation of Sri Lanka – who convened to share updates on their respective social responsibility initiatives and explore avenues for further regional collaboration.
During the two-day seminar, the participants received an in-depth overview of the AFC Dream Asia Foundation, outlining the strategic priorities that underpin the Confederation’s social responsibility and safeguarding framework, covering key tenets such as project planning, proposal development, funding processes, and the evaluation mechanisms required to ensure meaningful, measurable impact at the community level.
The insights from the Confederation’s experts were further complemented by an informative presentation from SAFF Head of Safeguarding and Social Responsibility, Fatima Esha, which emphasised the importance of embedding safeguarding principles within social responsibility programmes, highlighting practical approaches to strengthen internal systems and ensure that activities are fully aligned with both AFC and SAFF expectations.
With the capacity-building programme serving as a valuable platform for MAs to deepen their understanding and enhance their ability to create meaningful social impact, the participants expressed their appreciation for the exchange of knowledge and various perspectives shared, which will now help them support SAFF’s goal of making social responsibility a key part of football development across South Asia.
Encouraging the representatives to undertake their duties with purpose and long-term vision, AFC Executive Committee Member and Bangladesh Football Federation Executive Committee Member, Mahfuza Akter Kiron, said: “Social responsibility is not something that should be seen as a burden but as a meaningful opportunity to use our sport as a force for good, uplift communities, and showcase the transformative power of football.
“When we approach our responsibilities with sincerity and with the belief that football can change lives, we not only strengthen our MAs, but we also strengthen our societies.”
