Member Association Development

The new pitches in the provinces of Zavkhan, Uvs and Bulgan are part of the MFF’s initiatives to further develop and promote the sport. The projects are also expected to benefit the communities in the area.

The mentorship programme, which was launched earlier this year, is part of the AFC’s commitment to provide its Member Associations with tailored made programmes to help enhance their media and communications capabilities and is a continuation of the regional media and communications workshops held over the last two years. 

At the forefront of the agenda was the PSSI’s ambitions to develop a consumer relationship management (CRM) system to improve its brand and to establish a stronger connection with their fans.

The new award categories were introduced for the first time in 2018 to reward Asia’s best and most promising leagues which were graded in management and administration, financial performance, competition, marketing and promotion and media and communications.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa acknowledged the commitment of UAE and Vietnam to grow the game in the region.

“I congratulate UAE and Vietnam for their contribution towards the continued development of the game in Asia. These new awards were created in-line with our AFC Vision and Mission to maximise the potential of all our Members Associations. It is fantastic to see all our MAs work towards this goal.

“The AFC recognises the hard work by our MAs and it is our hope that these awards will inspire not only the winners and nominees, but the entire continent to strengthen their leagues and cultivate an ethos of excellence.”

UAE’s Pro League under the Inspiring class led the way in the development of its local football league, which also received the AFC’s League Development Award in February for its unique project on media training designed for professional players.

Australia, China PR, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan are the shortlisted nominees for the Inspiring League category.

Bhutan, Guam, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kyrgyz Republic, Philippines, Singapore, Tajikistan and Vietnam have been shortlisted for the Developing category.

The nine-month programme, which has been designed in collaboration with academic partner World Academy of Sport (WAoS), focuses on seven key competency modules and has benefitted an impressive 59 graduates from the first three editions since its inauguration in 2016.

“One of the key strengths is the holistic approach to the modules, and at some stage, we do begin to see that all the modules are intertwined,” said Jill Espiritu, Media and Marketing Officer at the Guam Football Association.

“When you return to the day-to-day operations in your Member Association, you also begin to build confidence in your abilities to enhance your plans and overcome future challenges. Above all, I believe that the course prepares you for personal and professional development.

“One of the key modules focuses on building a strategic plan for your Member Association, but I have learned to create a strategic plan for myself. I recognise the importance of mapping out a plan and working towards achieving my career goals and where I see myself in the next ten years,” added Espiritu, who was one of three students to receive a distinction in the recently-concluded second and third FAC editions in March 2018.

The AFC President also had a fruitful meeting with Tajikistan Football Federation (TFF) President Rustam Emomali where they discussed issues related to football development in the country as well as Central Asia.

Praising TFF’s recent achievements, Shaikh Salman said: “We are glad with the recent progress of Tajikistan football and it is all down to the visionary leadership of President Emamoli.

“We made a statutory change to separate Central Asia from previous South and Central Asia Zone and we hope the Central Asian Member Associations including Tajikistan are benefitting from this change.

“The Central Asian Members Associations have immense potential and it is being shown on the pitch. The AFC is fully committed to helping Tajikistan to scale new heights and joining the elites of Asian football.”

The ground-breaking scheme, at its core, has been providing greater access to top-class and fit-for-purpose facilities and creating a profound impact in all areas of development, both in the men’s and women’s game, from the grassroots, and youth to elite football.

“Despite facing extremely difficult circumstances, we are determined to provide more opportunities for football to develop in Afghanistan. 

"Facilities and access have been two of the biggest challenges for us here and the AFC mini-pitches are playing a vital role in helping us grow the game,” said Afghanistan Football Federation General Secretary Sayed Ali Reza Aghazada.

Youth footballers in the Central Zone nation are the main beneficiaries of six state-of-the-art mini-pitches built over the last three years across its capital Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif, the fourth-largest city in the country.

“Football is a powerful tool to give our people hope, to bring joy to children. These mini-pitches are some of the most utilised football facilities in the country and are becoming a focal point of football development in Afghanistan.”

The consultants gathered in Kuala Lumpur to discuss and agree on a common approach on assisting the Member Associations (MA) to establish and implement a commercial and media rights strategy. 

In the long term, the consultants will facilitate and train the MA marketing staff to draft documents, tenders and contracts for their commercial and media rights. 

After the two-day workshop, they will travel to the five regions - West, Central, East, ASEAN and South in May to conduct regional workshops as a first step in assisting the MAs to exploit their commercial and media rights opportunities.

Since its inauguration in July 2016 in Bhutan, the AFC, together with partners Mycujoo, have embarked on an exciting campaign through the LSP to grow the popularity of the game, as envisaged in the AFC’s Vision and Mission, and open new possibilities for revenue generation.

The impact of the LSP over the past 18 months on the Member Associations has been undeniable. The ever-expanding platform, which now falls under the ambit of the AFC President’s Development Initiative, has been extended to an impressive 28 Member Associations across the five AFC regions.

Increasing its presence in the Continent each day, the LSP has registered a staggering 18.9 million views, connecting users from over 122 countries to 1,544 matches, ranging from the national leagues, international friendlies, to the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, the AFC Cup preliminary stage as well as the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 qualifiers.

The Football League of Tajikistan (FLT) CEO Alisher Urunov and the President of the Football League of Kyrgyz Republic Nurbek Atakanov signed the MoU, which is within the framework of the AFC President’s Development Initiative Programme to develop football leagues.

As part of the agreement between the leagues, there will be a mutual exchange of work and experience, which include football management and marketing, the hosting of friendly matches between Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic football clubs, and much more.

“For the Football League of Tajikistan, this is the first ever signing of a document on cooperation with the league of another country,” said Urunov. “I congratulate our leagues, our friendly and fraternal countries.”

Atakanov also noted on the importance of signing the memorandum, saying: “I am confident that our cooperation with FLT will bear fruit. We follow the development of football in Tajikistan and are very pleased with the noticeable progress of your clubs in the international arena.

“We had a very constructive meeting with Urunov, and we hope the experience of Tajikistan will help us in the development of club football in Kyrgyz Republic.”

AFC Development Officer Yogesh Desai, who participated in the MoU signing, praised the cooperation between the two leagues in Central Asia.

“This is a historic event. The MoU will also help clubs, especially youth teams in these two countries to compete internationally and gain valuable experience,” said Desai.

Photo: Tajikistan Football Federation

The Infrastructure Initiative, comprising two components – the mini-pitches and other infrastructure projects – will be inaugurated in Mongolia with the construction of three mini-pitches in the Darkhan-Uul and Khovd provinces scheduled to begin in April this year, after the materials were successfully shipped to the East Asian nation this month.

Mongolia Football Federation (MFF) General Secretary Shijir Ulziikhuu said: “The MFF recognises the importance of providing quality infrastructure and facilities for football development to thrive and I would like to thank the AFC for its commitment to develop the game here in Mongolia.

“We are confident that the mini-pitches through this AFC President’s Infrastructure Initiative will play a crucial role in developing our youth teams and ultimately inspire tomorrow’s generations of players and fans to develop a lifelong passion for the game.”

Aimed at educating players on the use of social media, the workshop focused on utilising media channels to assist them in being better role models.

AFC Consultant Hou Cong kicked-off the workshop with a session by showcasing examples of leading football players from around the globe, examining their social media accounts and their maintenance on good relations with their fans. Case studies from the English Premier League on fan interaction were looked at as well.

The second session was conducted by CFA Media Consultant Yuan Ye, who spoke on the structure of the Chinese social media and emphasised that professional players should adapt to the framework of new media, before sharing some do’s and don’ts on the distribution of information on social media.