The Grassroots Charter is a development tool for Member Associations (MA) to raise the quality of their grassroots programmes. It identifies 20 performance categories such as grassroots competitions, structure, long-term planning and partnerships, with KFA excelling in all criteria.

The importance of grassroots development is deeply rooted in the KFA across its 17 regional and 33 local member associations where the focus on promoting and developing can be found in all levels of its football structure.

Furthermore, KFA and its respective affiliates have an extensive range of grassroots activities, which include some affiliated schools, clubs and amateur bodies, football for the disabled, children, youth, veterans, futsal and social programmes.

In line with the FAM F:30 Roadmap and the launch of the FAM Grassroots brand SupaRimau, the workshop attracted the participation of 42 football academies and grassroots league organisers in the Klang Valley.

Afghanistan

The Afghanistan Football Federation coordinated a large scale Grassroots Festival which saw the participation of 154 children and 24 coaches on May 15 in Kabul.

The main objective behind the initiative was to share the love of football and assist the establishment of the U-12 league as well as the U-12 national team.

The children were divided into age groups and were taught the meaning of fair play, while the coaches were trained on how to deliver Grassroots instructions.

The seminar saw the participation of 19 districts' football secretaries and 22 grassroots leaders as they brainstormed on the AFC Grassroots Charter, regulations and guidelines.

Bhutan

The Bhutan Football Federation saw an increase in participation with every passing celebration of the AFC Grassroots Football Day, and 2019 was no different as the festival took place in 19 districts in the South Asian country.

The larger community has also seen the positive changes and opportunities the festival has to offer, putting their trust in the Bhutan FF to look after a grand total of 2,025 boys, girls, special needs children and volunteers, who all learned important messages of fun, play, friendship and respect.

The latest milestone also continues the trend of setting a new participation record every year since its inauguration in 2013 and further underlines the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) ambition, under its Vision and Mission, to confirm football as the most popular sport on the Continent.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said: “Each year, grassroots football in Asia continues to reach greater heights and set new milestones and I am pleased to note the AFC Grassroots Football Day 2019 will surpass all previous records.

“Developing the grassroots game forms the building blocks to bring the AFC’s Vision and Mission to life and credit must go to all our Member Associations for never failing to answer the clarion call to spread the reach of the game.

The AFC’s Vision and Mission has underlined our desire to confirm football as the number one sport in Asia and the grassroots game forms the building blocks to bring our ambitions to life.

Credit must go to all our Member Associations for never failing to answer the clarion call to spread the reach of the game. And it is only through this spirit of unity and solidarity that we continue to strengthen the foundations for football in Asia.

As the Continent’s governing body, our mandate is clear: We want to create conducive environments for everyone, people of all ages, regardless of their playing ability or background, with the opportunity to play.

And our commitment to grassroots football has never been stronger. Last year, we introduced the Grassroots Charter, which is already proving to be a game-changer in enhancing the quality and delivery of the movement and programmes across the Continent.

We now have 15 Member Associations endorsed under the Charter and I urge more Member Associations to come forward to embrace the Charter in the same way they have grown the popularity and scale of the AFC Grassroots Football Day.

We also introduced three new AFC Special Grassroots Awards in 2018 to celebrate our dedicated volunteers in Asia – the unsung heroes who work tirelessly every day to spread the joy of football.

Grassroots football must continue to uphold the principles of inclusiveness, instilling lifelong values and building character. It must always be fun, but it is also a serious business. For every superstar, the journey begins at the Grassroots and the livelihood of football depends on our ability to nurture the game for our future generations.

I would like to express my appreciation to all the AFC Member Associations who are organising activities in their countries this year. A special thank you is also extended to all our volunteers and parents for believing in the power of football.

I wish you all a successful and fulfilling AFC Grassroots Football Day!