The UAE Pro League is the first governing body in the Middle East to launch a Child Safeguarding programme in May which focuses on preventing any risk of harm to children in football and increasing awareness of children safety and protection within clubs.

The virtual workshop featured guest speakers from leading organisations including Head of Safeguarding at FIFA, Kathryn Leslie and a representative from the recently-formed AFC Safeguarding Unit.

Major Abdulrahman Al Tamimi of the UAE Ministry of Interior Child Protection Centre, the UAE Football Association Technical Director Michel Sablon and Callum Irving, a leading youth development Consultant, also joined the discussions.

The two-month long programme, which will also enlist the assistance of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Football for All in Vietnam (FFAV), SOS Children’s Villages Vietnam as well as FCSA’s partners, Bundesliga club SV Werder Bremen, will engage more than 30 young adults and coaches from different regions in Vietnam.

The latest course has been built on the strong foundations of the highly-successful 2018/2019 Young Coach Education programme in Hue and Ben Tre in Vietnam where 33 young adults were trained to become leaders and role models for the youth in their communities and is now benefitting more than 2,000 children.

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The first-of-its-kind project in West Asia, which aims to ensure children can enjoy their right to play football in a safe and inclusive environment, and prevent any risk of harm to children involved in the game, will allocate professional Child Safeguarding Officers (CSO) to 14 clubs to lead and expand their child protection efforts.

UAE Pro League Chairman Abdulla Naser Al Junaibi said: “We have been overwhelmed with the level of support that we have received from leading organisations such as FIFA, the AFC and UAE Ministry of Interior.”

The latest initiative exemplifies the ongoing efforts and commitment by the GFA towards combating the COVID-19 pandemic after contributing 300 isolation gowns in May this year.

GFA President Tino San Gil said: “I’m happy to receive the news that GMH received the Demistifier sets needed and that they can be put to use immediately. We’re still in this collective fight against the COVID-19 virus that continues to affect all of us in the community.

The two-week virtual pilot programme – the first-of-its-kind organised by AURORA and supported by the AFC Dream Asia Foundation – was designed to empower tomorrow’s generation through innovative and educational opportunities, to equip them with the skill sets to lead social change and to strengthen the foundations for them to encourage their peers to live more purposeful lives through football beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.