Undoubtedly one of the fastest movers in Asia, the men’s national team have emerged from a modest 175 in 2015, to among the world’s top 100 nations in the FIFA World Ranking in 2017.

At the youth level, the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 – the first-ever FIFA competition staged in the country – served as a catalyst for the game’s growth after the tournament broke all attendance records in the history of FIFA age-group competitions.

In one of the greatest comebacks in Asian youth football history, the Central Asians displayed true grit and determination to brush aside their opening day 6-2 defeat to Malaysia before storming into their first-ever final, and in doing so, secured their place amongst the world’s elite in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Peru 2019.

The achievement was even more impressive considering the challenges in football infrastructure facing the football-loving nation, particularly in the country’s football capital – the Republican Central Stadium.

Successor to the former top-tier football league in the Philippines, the PFL celebrated its inaugural season in 2017, with Ceres Negros clinching the title.

PFF President Mariano V. Araneta Jr. was presented with the award by AFC Development Committee Chairman Zhang Jian after the 28th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“This is an award that will inspire us to improve our league, and our clubs to do better. We hope that the PFL continues for many years to come,” said the PFF President.

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.

But the War Elephants’ rise has by no means been fortuitous. Behind the scenes, the industrious and inventive engine was set in motion two years ago, when a joint Strategic Planning Mission conducted by the AFC and FIFA sparked the genesis to institute a new 20-year strategic masterplan.

Embodying the principles and outcomes of the newly-structured AFC President’s Development Initiative (PDI), the mission sought to engage FA Thailand’s key decision makers and together, identified the future goals and action plans before establishing key levers to elevate the level of professionalism and administration standards in Thailand.

 

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 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.