Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bandar Seri Begawan: Brunei Darussalam has achieved several milestones in its effort to develop football from the ground up, a FIFA official has said.
Delegates form FIFA and AFC met with top officials of the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) on 12 March to assess the nation’s football and to develop its action plan under the Kick Off programme to enhance it further.
The meeting was held at NFABD’s headquarters where NFABD President HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah met with FIFA Development Office Kuala Lumpur’s Development Officer Domeka Garamendi and AFC Director of Member Associations and Development Sanjeevan Balasingam.
“We were discussing about how to assist Brunei in its development and activities and to have a Kick Off Programme assessment visit,” Balasingam was quoted as saying by the Brunei Times.
“Brunei is a very important member of AFC and we are here to find out about their development and how we can help to build the capacity of NFABD to enhance their administration and their new programmes – for example, (in) women’s football,” he said.
“I think Brunei has been moving in the right direction in the last few years under the presidency of His Royal Highness (Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah) and we are just here to help Brunei on the path to success.
“I was at one of the local matches last night (Tuesday night) when the Army (Royal Brunei Armed Forces Sports Council) played the Police (Royal Brunei Police Force Sports Council), and they got a very good crowd and it was a good high tempo match, so I think Brunei is heading in the right direction and FIFA and AFC are here to help as much as we can” he said.
“(Success) won’t be easy, it will take time. Nothing good comes easy, we have to be on the right path.”
Brunei is a recipient of a FIFA funding programme which helped construct an artificial pitch near NFABD’s headquarters.
“We were here last year for the two-year action plan (which was) a key milestone for NFABD to accomplish… And the reason we are here today is to get updates on what needs to be revised and what else we can do to help achieve this plan,” Garamendi said.
“The objective of this action plan is to get NFABD on their feet, and once they are on their feet, we can start on longer reaching programmes such as establishing a five-year strategic programme.
“Brunei was suspended (from FIFA) for two years (from 2008 to 2010) so basically they are starting from scratch.
“They will need to work on everything, the technical as well as the management sides, and what is good about the situation is that Brunei is building from the ground up (so) we do not have to worry about the existing structure.
“I think NFABD have achieved several milestones (but) maybe there are a few issues that need to be revised as some are not as relevant as they were last year - so we are here to help NFABD finish this two-year action plan so we can start the real work of football development,” added Garamendi.
The first step
Another meeting was conducted between the NFABD and a delegation from the AFC Kick Off Development Programme.
Representing the NFABD during the meeting were its Chairman of Competitions Committee Mohammad Noor, Chairman of Football and Player Status Committee Muhammad Radzuan and other officials.
The AFC delegation consisted of Head of Development Stuart Larman and Development Officer Yogesh Desai.
Active discussion and interaction were held between the AFC delegates and NFABD officials to identify how Kick Off services can address the challenges faced by NFABD in league and club development.
It is necessary to consider that the level of football in Brunei is of an amateur nature and thereby the services identified and prioritised can address the issues and challenges at that level.
It is first necessary for NFABD to identify and state the vision and goals of the federation for the development of clubs and competitions in Brunei. Once the vision and goals are identified by NFABD it is necessary that the office bearers along with the administration focus their efforts to implement them.
AFC Kick Off will assist NFABD in implementation of these goals, the first of which is recruiting a full-time Competitions Director in NFABD.
The next step for the AFC Development Unit to conduct a planning workshop in Brunei along with the appointed Competitions Director and other necessary NFABD officials to plan and formulate strategies for availing the services under Kick Off for developing clubs and competitions in Brunei.
“Football in Brunei has lost precious 2 years due to our absence from the Asian and World football scene,” said Radzuan during the meeting. “However, now that Brunei is out of the wilderness, it is high time that NFABD puts all its resources together and takes Brunei football ahead”
“Although Brunei has a passion for football as it is the number one sport among the masses, we are lagging behind in terms of human resources. We need people who have the competency, knowledge and experience in football management and taking the game forward in various aspects”
“Keeping this in mind, NFABD has decided to get assistance from AFC through its Kick Off Programme. We would like AFC to provide NFABD with services through their network of experts in football management. We hope that that AFC through its Kick Off programme can bring in people in Brunei that can help achieve the vision and goals of NFABD in football development.”
“Therefore we would like to work closely with AFC in availing the league governance, league marketing and club marketing services to help the leagues and clubs in Brunei. I would like to thank the AFC delegates who have come to Brunei and we hope to continue this partnership in the long term”
Kick Off is a development programme which focuses on strengthening the club and league management of AFC’s Member Associations through tailor-made, self-sustainable solutions.
Brunei is one of 16 countries currently benefiting from Kick Off which gives its support through a wide range of services chosen by the participating MAs.