Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
New Delhi: A two-day AFC KICK OFF Regional Workshop 2015 for Central and South Asia was held with a focus to enlighten the participants on league models, governance and revenue generation.
“The AFC Kick-Off Programme is a key development tool for football in Asia, strengthening our leagues and clubs,” Chairman of the AFC Development Committee H.E. Mohamed Khalfan Al Romaithi said in his workshop opening address.
“I would like to stress that as much as you are here to learn from the presentations, the interactive learning, the sharing of knowledge and discussions can often be an even more effective way of learning. Please play an active part in the workshop by sharing your experiences, as they can sometimes be even more enlightening than the presentations.”
The first-day activities began with a presentation by Yogesh Desai, Development Officer for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who addressed the attendees by offering an introduction to the AFC KICK OFF Programme, promoting football development throughout the continent with tailor-made plans and projects for each member association. At the end of his presentation Desai discussed the common challenges and issues that member associations in the South and Central regions are facing.
Stuart Larman, the AFC Head of Development, talked to the participants about League Management Principles and Governance Models. In his presentation, Larman discussed different types of associations’ models and how leagues and clubs can add value to their stockholders. Using examples from Europe, Tom Gorissen, UEFA Advisory Manager, later shared case studies of successful league models and valuation of league commercials and TV rights.
The second day of the workshop was informative and extensive and included a presentation by the All India Football Federation on the I-League and Indian Super League as a case study, an insight into how the Afghanistan Champions League and Pakistan Premier League were set up and also a session by the Tajikistan Football Federation about their FIFA Win-Win Programme.
Speaking at the conclusion of the workshop, Larman expressed his appreciation for the impressive attendance and engagement from all the member associations, and assured that the necessary steps will be implemented to enable leagues' clubs to initiate many of the great ideas and concepts discussed during the workshop sessions to assist the continuous development of the South and Central regions.