AFC Dream Asia

Chairperson HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal reiterated the pivotal role of the Board in ensuring the optimum standards of delivery and professionalism across the Continent, whilst emphasising the commitment of the AFC and its members to maintain the hallmarks of transparency and accountability.

As part of the AFC's efforts to fund social responsibility activities throughout the continent, the winners and runners-up of Asia's top club competitions are committed to allocating 5% of their prize funds towards such endeavours.

The six-month capacity-building programme, which concluded in July 2024, was again supported by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Dream Asia Foundation. It was tailored for teachers in schools and orphanages, aligning itself with the Foundation’s three primary pillars of Child Safeguarding, Education and Social Inclusion.

The landmark event aimed to chart a clear path for the AFC, which became an FFTG member in October 2022, to capitalise on the opportunities presented through its involvement in the initiative, becoming a leading force in sustainability transformation within the global football community.

Supported by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Dream Asia Foundation, the Football at School campaign exemplifies the Foundation’s overarching motto of “Football Cares” and underlines its three key pillars of Child Safeguarding, Education, and Social Inclusion.

Supported by the AFC Dream Asia Foundation over the last four years, the project has been a catalyst for positive change and community development, contributing to the enhancement of thousands of lives across 14 Cambodian provinces through its key programmes, namely, the Young Coach Development Pathway, the Continuous Coach Development Pathway, and the Social Impact Training for Coaches and Young Leaders.

The Toolkit, the first of its kind to be developed by the AFC, is designed specifically for the AFC’s Member Associations (MAs) and Regional Associations (RAs) to elevate their capacities in delivering impactful Social Responsibility (SR) programmes.

Supported by the AFC Dream Asia Foundation (ADAF), #bridgingthegap emphasises integration, education and overall development to transform the lives of the children.

Organised by the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and supported by the AFC Dream Asia Foundation (ADAF), the first phase of the ANFA Football Clinic for Underprivileged Children in Madhesh province kicked off this January in five sites simultaneously over two days. The clinics will continue in seven more provincial sites, taking the number up to 12 for this initial phase.

Chairperson HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal was pleased to note the AFC’s continued commitment, as underlined in its Vision and Mission, to uplift and empower the Continent’s most vulnerable communities.

The capacity building programme, supported by the AFC’s Dream Asia Foundation (ADAF), was designed to enhance the quality of Physical Education (PE) teachers from the region’s schools and orphanages by equipping them with the necessary knowledge required to create a safe and nurturing environment for the children under their care.

Supported by the AFC Dream Asia Foundation (ADAF), the programme was a three-way collaborative effort between the AFC, the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and the Shelter Ashraya Nepal (SAN), a non-governmental organisation, committed to creating sustainable change and empowering vulnerable communities in Nepal.

Since then, the world has been faced with dark times and Asia has been no exception.

The challenges have been numerous - from floods and droughts to a deadly global pandemic. However, the gravity of such crises has been more than matched by the resolute dedication of our many heroes and heroines from all walks of life, who have risen to meet the challenges.

The AFC mandates that 5% of the prize money earned by the AFC Champions League™ winners and runners-up are to be allocated towards social responsibility projects.

As the most populous Continent and home to two-thirds of the world’s youth in Asia, this collaboration will see the AFC play an integral part in advocating for and implementing policies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The landmark strategy aligns with those of the AFC’s Member Associations (MAs), Regional Associations (RAs) and international partners and stakeholders in that it has the collective aspiration to enrich lives and empower marginalised communities across the Continent.

Available in English and Arabic, the training manual, which includes a basic training framework of child safeguarding and protection, has been designed to provide necessary support to Member Associations (MAs) in the West zone through various best practices in child safeguarding.

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Football Federation of Cambodia and the ISF, the five-year programme seeks to empower children from underprivileged backgrounds by increasing access to sports, improved health, and opportunities to build life-skills.

In addition to the President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal, the two remaining Board of Trustees are Hong Kong Football Association Ltd. President and Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong President Timothy Fok Tsun Ting as well as the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) President and Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC) Vice President Major General Khiev Sameth.

The East Asian club, in coordination with the Korea Football Association (KFA) and the Football Love sharing Foundation, mooted the KFA Football Love Project that consist of three initiatives – the Dream KFA Ontact, Dream KFA Harmony and Dream Assist – with the focus of engaging communities in the Korea Republic.

The campaign is called Li’oa Ma’a Tonga, which in English translates to ‘Give your all, for Tonga,’ with members of the public to donate through the official Givealittle page which will be managed by the OFC.

AFC President and Patron of the AFC Dream Asia Foundation Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who received the cheque from SAFF President Yasser Hassan M Almisehal in a special ceremony held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, expressed his appreciation to the SAFF for sharing the AFC’s belief to empower and strengthen vulnerable communities across the Continent.

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