AFC Dream Asia
Introduced on August 8, the 12-month programme commenced with a Foundations of Inclusive Football Training of Trainers workshop at BINUS School Serpong in Greater Jakarta in the presence of more than 100 teachers and coaches, with the aim of laying the foundations for safe and secure environments for children across the Southeast Asian nation to nurture a love for the beautiful game.
Participants hailed from mainstream schools, disability schools and associated academies, as the power of football was harnessed to promote inclusion, safeguarding, psychosocial wellbeing and equal opportunities for children of all abilities and backgrounds.
Designed to equip coaches and educators with the knowledge and confidence to create football environments where children can play, learn and grow into well-rounded individuals, the focus of the workshop centred around the themes of disability inclusion, child safeguarding, psychosocial wellbeing, and best practices in inclusive coaching.
With participants representing 76 schools and academies, the inaugural workshop is expected to have an impact on almost 20,000 students across mainstream and disability-focused educational organisations, helping to strengthen local capacity and build sustainable systems.
To further support participants as they deepen their knowledge and capabilities and bring these learnings back to their communities, a second workshop will be conducted in November and followed by two more in 2027, ensuring that the phased approach supports long-term behavioural change and creates lasting improvements in safeguarding and inclusion.
As part of the first onsite engagement on August 10, personnel from ADAF and the ASA Foundation visited SLBN 3 Jakarta, a school for children with disabilities, where 230 students took part in various engaging activities, while educators were able to put their newly acquired coaching approaches into practice, and gather valuable feedback via the programme’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) process.
This programme serves as a 12-month pilot initiative in one of the largest youth populations in Southeast Asia, where football is deeply embedded in the local culture.
As a member of the UN Football for the Goals initiative, the ASA Foundation brings 25 years of experience in delivering inclusive, safeguarding-focused, and evidence-based sport-for-development programs across Indonesia to the fore, while the ADAF provides strategic leadership and alignment with AFC’s developmental priorities.
Subject to review of the pilot’s results, the Goals for Good aims to expand to other countries in the future to further drive meaningful change for children across the Continent and stay true to the ADAF’s motto of “Football Cares”.
