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The Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA) has become part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s illustrious AFC Grassroots Charter Gold level members, making it the seventh AFC Member Association (MA) to be accepted at this level.
First endorsed with Silver level membership in 2020, the UFA then moved up to Gold in December 2023 after displaying good progress.
AFC assessors singled out the UFA as an organisation that is well equipped to grow grassroots football, and noted the close collaboration between the Association, its 14 regional MAs and governmental institutions as well as the support of the government in developing football.
The UFA currently has 512 FIFA Football in School (FFIS) programmes in primary and secondary schools, with all of the country’s approximately 10,000 schools expected to implement the project by 2030. Over 90 per cent of the 10,000 schools have adequate football facilities, and funding from the central government is forthcoming to ensure all of them have access to the FFIS project.
Regional grassroots competitions regularly draw a large number of participants. The “Leather ball” youth tournament, for example, attracted 130,000 participants while “Future of our Football” boasted 200,000 players.
Futsal, veterans’ football and football for those with disabilities are also popular regionally, as are festivals such as the AFC Women’s Football Day and AFC Grassroots Football Day. In September 2023, an inaugural Under-17 girls’ tournament was held to identify talented players for the national youth team.
Assessors highlighted the UFA’s strategic goals to increase the number of active players in the population to five per cent by 2030 compared to the current 2.7 per cent. State support and involvement in the growth of mass and amateur football was notable, they said, with relevant objectives defined at the highest levels.
This was reflected in increased development facility-wise, from a new national training center to the upgrading of school amenities, gyms and communal, open-to-play mini pitches.
Assessors also remarked on the immense number of people wanting to play football, which was reflected in the public’s general interest in the game.
UFA General Secretary Avaz Maksumov said: “We express our sincere gratitude for the AFC’s commitment to the development of grassroots football across the continent and for the support we have received.
“It’s an honour and responsibility to win AFC Grassroots Charter Gold level membership and we hope for further cooperation and achievements with the Asian Football Confederation.”
