Grassroots AR

Chaired by AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh, the meeting was attended by 14 experts from 14 Member Associations (MAs) of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

First endorsed with Silver level membership in 2020, the UFA then moved up to Gold in December 2023 after displaying good progress.

Over the course of three days, technical directors, grassroots football managers, and FIFA Regional Technical Consultants from across Asia convened to discuss ways to expand the reach of the beautiful game, as underlined by the AFC’s Vision to maintain football’s position as the Continent’s number one sport.

Setting the Conference in motion, the ceremony saw the honour of the Best Grassroots Leader bestowed upon Japan’s Masakatsu Setowaki while India’s Anantapur Sports Academy was crowned as the Best Grassroots Project. Meanwhile, the accolade of the Best Grassroots Club was awarded to Japan’s Kasuga Eagles Club.

Chaired by AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh and attended by 12 panel members from 10 Member Associations (MAs), the meeting was an excellent opportunity for grassroots football experts in Asia to exchange ideas and discuss strategies on the many ways to enhance the reach of the beautiful game on the Continent.

Endorsed with a Bronze membership in 2018, the HKFA worked its way up to the Silver level by 2021 before becoming the sixth MA to receive Gold level membership for its concerted efforts to consistently enhance its grassroots system.

The-AFC.com highlights all the celebrations that took place across the Continent, with six MAs in the spotlight in this third part!

In the second part of this series, the-AFC.com highlights the celebrations of five more MAs!

Join us at the-AFC.com for the first part of a series that highlights all the celebrations that took place across the Continent!

The OFA became the 25th Member Association (MA) to be recognised under the Bronze category, taking the number of endorsed MAs to 40 when the Gold and Silver levels are also included.

With the 108 attendees coming from a total of 39 different Member Associations (MAs), the importance of implementing unique strategies that fit each MA’s own needs was further underscored by UEFA Grassroots Mentor Les Howie, who was one of two guest speakers invited to share expert insights.

Since the inaugural year in 2013, when the celebration was launched with the support of 13 MAs, the reach of the event has seen a threefold increase with the 2023 edition set to be celebrated by 39 MAs and by almost 28,000 participants.