More than 1,500 players from the ages of four to 17, participated in the informative online lessons that consisted of various topics such as warm-up/cool-down activities, football exercises, physical drills and mini lectures of football related knowledge.

Jerry, a participant from the Boy’s programme, said: “It was helpful to follow the coaches and do some exercises by attending the online training classes organised by the HKFA. Despite not being able to play football with my teammates on the pitch, we could still see each other and learn through the online platform.”

SFA remains committed in developing grassroots football and the course, which benefitted 112 men and women trainers, is an important element in their process of applying for the AFC Grassroots Charter later this year.

AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh opended the meeting by emphasising on the mission of the Grassroots Panel: “With the aim to increase the participation of grassroots, provide social inclusion, inspire young people as well as foster an interest in the sport, the AFC Grassroots Panel is committed to promote football at all levels regardless of their abilities and provide people with opportunities to play in a safe and enjoyable environment.”

A total of 14 panel members discussed the current situation of grassroots development in their countries before deliberating on key issues of the AFC Grassroots Charter and the challenges faced.

More than 7,900 boys and girls from diverse provinces of 12 states participated in the celebration which comprised interactive webinars, online games, online training sessions, social media quizzes, drawing competitions and other creative activities.

The AFC Grassroots Charter, which identifies 20 performance categories such as grassroots competitions, structure and partnerships, continues to receive remarkable support across the Continent, with UFA becoming the sixth MA to receive the silver award, bringing the total number of MAs benefiting from the landmark development tool to 28 since its launch in 2017.

The UFA was recognised for driving a robust strategy aimed at player retention and developing regular annual programmes, competitions and festivals for players from as young as five, as part of efforts to grow the popularity and cultivating a lifelong passion for football.

The AFC Grassroots Charter is a development tool to support Member Associations (MA) to increase the quality of grassroots programmes. It identifies 20 performance categories such as grassroots competitions, structure, promotional activities and partnerships, with TFF excelling in all the requirements.

With the aim of exponentially increasing the involvement of children and youth from all cities and districts, the TFF has been focusing on three key areas to develop grassroots football: players programmes, grassroots competitions and women's projects.

Held in collaboration with the Norway Football Federation (NFF), the workshop focused on both practical and theoretical aspects of football development, delving specifically into women’s coaching for grassroots football and explored ways to ensure a fun and engaging environment for aspiring footballers.