| The AFC Referee Academy opened its doors in 2017 with the objective of increasing the number of AFC Referees at world-class level and extending development support to the AFC Member Associations. |
|
The main features of the AFC Referee Academy programme is to offer:
- CONTINUOUS REFEREEING EDUCATION - The AFC Referee Academy is the world’s first educational institution to provide referees with continuous education at the Confederation level.
- ROAD TO THE AFC ELITE PANEL - The AFC Referee Academy identifies potential talents for the AFC Elite Panel.
- AFC TOP REFEREEING EDUCATORS - The AFC’s top educators, both in the Continent and around the globe, have been engaged to design a rigorous refereeing education programme, addressing specific needs and developing the required skills to officiate at top-level competitions.
- ENHANCED SUPPORT TO AFC MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS - The AFC Referee Academy provides all AFC Member Associations with equal opportunities to high quality refereeing education.
Alumni from the AFC Referee Academy have already made their mark on Asian competitions with Match Officials appointed to the AFC U17 and U20 Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers, the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022, the Knockout Stages of the AFC Champions League™ (East) 2022, the AFC Cup Final 2022, and the South East Asian Games Hanoi 2021.
The AFC Referee Academy welcomed its most recent batch of young referees in 2022, with a record number of 51 participants joining the programme. As of 2022, a total of 126 men and women referees are benefitting from the pioneering programme at the continental level.
The success of the AFC Referee Academy has also been highlighted by the registration of 47 participants in the FIFA international referees list during their time with the programme.